Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether British citizens who have graduated from medical schools outside of the UK will be prioritised for medical training places in the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill was introduced to Parliament on 13 January 2026. The bill delivers the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, published in July 2025, to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training
Under the bill, British citizens who have graduated from medical schools outside of the UK will not be prioritised for foundation training places, and a graduate from a medical school in the UK or Ireland will not be prioritised if they spent the majority of their time studying outside the British Islands.
For specialty training places starting in 2026, NHS experience is being represented by immigration status, as people with a settled immigration status are more likely to have worked in the NHS for longer. The effect of this is that British citizens and those with certain other immigration status will be prioritised. For specialty training posts starting from 2027 onwards, this provision will not apply automatically. Instead, it will be possible to make regulations to specify additional groups who will be prioritised, where they are likely to have significant experience working as a doctor either in the NHS in England, Scotland, or Wales or in health and social care in Northern Ireland, or by reference to their immigration status.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations on the potential impact of prioritising UK medical graduates in the 10 Year Health Plan on staffing levels.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill was introduced to Parliament on 13 January 2026. The bill delivers the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, published in July 2025, to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training.
The bill extends and applies across the UK. Health workforce planning and access to medical training are devolved matters. However, the process of recruitment and the allocation of foundation and specialty training places is undertaken on a UK-wide basis, and we are committed to keeping that consistency.
Department ministers have worked closely with their counterparts on the draft bill and alongside this, officials have been working closely and constructively with colleagues across all devolved administrations as we shape these proposals, and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance NHS England has issued to maternity services on when and how pregnant patients are informed of their BMI, including requirements on explaining associated clinical risks and available support.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence provides detailed guidelines for maternity service staff in relation to body mass index (BMI) and managing weight during pregnancy.
This includes the Antenatal Care Guidance which specifies that women should be offered measurement of height and weight, including a calculation of BMI, at their antenatal booking appointment. This should also include an explanation of BMI’s relevance to pregnancy, as well as associated risks and available support. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng201
In addition, the Overweight and Obesity Management Guidance specifies that for women with a BMI of 40 kilogram per meter squared of height or above, this discussion should include the option of referral to a specialist obesity service or specialist practitioner for tailored advice and support during pregnancy. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng247
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to HCWS1248, what estimate has been made of the annual cost to the NHS of expanding access to abiraterone; what savings have been achieved through the availability of generic versions of the drug; and how value for money will be assessed over the course of the commissioning policy.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Approximately 2,000 men diagnosed in the last three months with non‑metastatic prostate cancer will now be able to receive abiraterone where it is of clinical benefit, alongside prednisolone. An additional 7,000 men are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer each year and will be eligible for the drug. The clinical treatment criteria are available via the Cancer Drugs Fund list at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-cancer-drugs-fund-list/
These national clinical treatment criteria ensure equity of access for patients across England.
NHS England sets national service standards for those elements of cancer care designated as specialised services. Integrated care boards, supported by Cancer Alliances, are expected to plan and organise access to prostate cancer treatment in line with national standards. The integration of specialised and nonspecialised commissioning allows them to join up care and target resources where they can have the greatest impact on outcomes.
The National Prostate Cancer Audit (NPCA) assesses the process of care and its outcomes in men diagnosed with prostate cancer in England and Wales. Further information about the NPCA can be found via the National Disease Registration Service at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/our-work/ncras-partnerships/national-prostate-cancer-audit-npca
Information regarding the annual cost of expanding access to abiraterone is commercially sensitive. The availability of generic abiraterone means the National Health Service in England can procure the treatment at a lower cost than Zytiga under patent. NHS England has been able to give the green light to the rollout of generic abiraterone for thousands more eligible patients thanks to the health service buying and delivering treatments at better value, following the clinical advice to roll the treatment out last year.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to HCWS1248, what assessment has been made of existing regional variation in access to prostate cancer treatments and what steps are being taken to prevent disparities in uptake between different NHS trusts and integrated care boards.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Approximately 2,000 men diagnosed in the last three months with non‑metastatic prostate cancer will now be able to receive abiraterone where it is of clinical benefit, alongside prednisolone. An additional 7,000 men are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer each year and will be eligible for the drug. The clinical treatment criteria are available via the Cancer Drugs Fund list at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-cancer-drugs-fund-list/
These national clinical treatment criteria ensure equity of access for patients across England.
NHS England sets national service standards for those elements of cancer care designated as specialised services. Integrated care boards, supported by Cancer Alliances, are expected to plan and organise access to prostate cancer treatment in line with national standards. The integration of specialised and nonspecialised commissioning allows them to join up care and target resources where they can have the greatest impact on outcomes.
The National Prostate Cancer Audit (NPCA) assesses the process of care and its outcomes in men diagnosed with prostate cancer in England and Wales. Further information about the NPCA can be found via the National Disease Registration Service at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/our-work/ncras-partnerships/national-prostate-cancer-audit-npca
Information regarding the annual cost of expanding access to abiraterone is commercially sensitive. The availability of generic abiraterone means the National Health Service in England can procure the treatment at a lower cost than Zytiga under patent. NHS England has been able to give the green light to the rollout of generic abiraterone for thousands more eligible patients thanks to the health service buying and delivering treatments at better value, following the clinical advice to roll the treatment out last year.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to HCWS1248, what arrangements are in place to monitor patient outcomes following the expanded use of abiraterone at earlier stages of prostate cancer; and whether those outcomes will be published on a national and regional basis.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Approximately 2,000 men diagnosed in the last three months with non‑metastatic prostate cancer will now be able to receive abiraterone where it is of clinical benefit, alongside prednisolone. An additional 7,000 men are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer each year and will be eligible for the drug. The clinical treatment criteria are available via the Cancer Drugs Fund list at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-cancer-drugs-fund-list/
These national clinical treatment criteria ensure equity of access for patients across England.
NHS England sets national service standards for those elements of cancer care designated as specialised services. Integrated care boards, supported by Cancer Alliances, are expected to plan and organise access to prostate cancer treatment in line with national standards. The integration of specialised and nonspecialised commissioning allows them to join up care and target resources where they can have the greatest impact on outcomes.
The National Prostate Cancer Audit (NPCA) assesses the process of care and its outcomes in men diagnosed with prostate cancer in England and Wales. Further information about the NPCA can be found via the National Disease Registration Service at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/our-work/ncras-partnerships/national-prostate-cancer-audit-npca
Information regarding the annual cost of expanding access to abiraterone is commercially sensitive. The availability of generic abiraterone means the National Health Service in England can procure the treatment at a lower cost than Zytiga under patent. NHS England has been able to give the green light to the rollout of generic abiraterone for thousands more eligible patients thanks to the health service buying and delivering treatments at better value, following the clinical advice to roll the treatment out last year.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has reviewed research indicating that speech and language intervention for children with Down syndrome should begin in the first year of life.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service guidance sets out information on how to help children and young people with Down syndrome, including that they may need the support of a Speech and Language Therapist. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/downs-syndrome/how-to-help-children-and-young-people/
Through implementation of the Down Syndrome Act 2022, we want to improve the lives of people with Down syndrome.
Under the Down Syndrome Act, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is required to give guidance to relevant authorities in health, social care, education, and housing services on what they should be doing to meet the needs of people with Down syndrome.
We considered a range of evidence from our Call for Evidence and engagement when developing the draft Down syndrome guidance, currently out for public consultation, including research on speech and language therapy (SLT).
The draft guidance highlights that people with Down syndrome are likely to have communication needs and sets out support that can be provided, including that people with Down syndrome should be able to access speech and language assessment and support in a timely manner.
The draft guidance is clear that NHS commissioners and providers may offer people with Down syndrome and their families and carers a range of SLT services and interventions to support their communication, tailored to their specific needs. This should include early intervention services starting from birth, continuing through early years to support a good start in life, and then into primary and secondary school and beyond.
The draft guidance is also clear that support should be tailored to individual needs, and it is also important that local systems have the discretion to determine how best to meet the needs of their local communities.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
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 Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill on the ability of UK-resident graduates of UK medical schools who studied at overseas campuses to work in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill was introduced to Parliament on 13 January 2026. The bill delivers the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, published in July 2025, to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training.
Subject to the parliamentary passage of the bill, British citizens who have graduated from medical schools outside of the UK will not be prioritised for foundation training places, and a graduate from a medical school in the UK or Ireland will not be prioritised if they spent the majority of their time studying outside the British Islands.
For specialty training places starting in 2026, NHS experience is being represented by immigration status as people with a settled immigration status are more likely to have worked in the NHS for longer. The effect of this is that British citizens and those with certain other immigration status will be prioritised. For specialty training posts starting from 2027 onwards, this provision will not apply automatically. Instead, it will be possible to make regulations to specify additional groups who will be prioritised, where they are likely to have significant experience working as a doctor either in the NHS in England, Scotland or Wales, or in health and social care in Northern Ireland, or by reference to their immigration status.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of redundancy arrangements for NHS staff who take partial retirement.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This specific assessment has not been made. Where National Health Service staff have taken partial retirement, they retain continuous service. As a result, some staff may be entitled to receive a statutory redundancy payment that exceeds their contractual redundancy entitlement, in which case, the statutory payment will apply. Entitlement to redundancy payments ultimately depends on what is set out in an employee’s employment contract and whether their contract refers to Section 16 of the Agenda for Change terms. Different rules may apply to NHS staff who are not employed on Agenda for Change terms in England.
Contractual redundancy provisions for staff covered by the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service handbook, also referred to as Agenda for Change, were agreed and ratified in partnership by the NHS Staff Council, the collective bargaining structure made up of trade union and employer representatives. Any future changes to the handbook, including this section, would require the Department to issue a mandate to allow negotiations to be undertaken by the NHS Staff Council.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential merits of including individuals on spouse visas who have the right to work and contribute to the NHS among the priority groups for NHS specialty training offers.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill was introduced to Parliament on 13 January 2026. The bill delivers the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, published in July 2025, to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training.
For specialty training places starting in 2026, NHS experience is being represented by immigration status as people with a settled immigration status are more likely to have worked in the NHS for longer. For specialty training posts starting from 2027 onwards, this provision will not apply automatically. Instead, it will be possible to make regulations to specify additional groups who will be prioritised, where they are likely to have significant experience working as a doctor either in the NHS in England, Scotland, or Wales, or in health and social care in Northern Ireland, or by reference to their immigration status.
Individuals on spouse visas are not included in the prioritised group for specialty training posts starting in 2026, because it is not a good indicator of likely NHS experience. The Department of Health and Social Care worked closely with the Home Office on the development of the bill.
Applicants on spouse visas will still be able to apply and will be offered places if vacancies remain after prioritised applicants have received offers.