Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish (1) the NHS workforce plan, and (2) the social care workforce plan.

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

The Government will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026.

This plan will set out action to create an NHS workforce able to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. It is important we do this in a robust and joined up way. We are therefore engaging extensively with partners to ensure this plan delivers for staff and patients.

Decisions regarding any potential publication for social care remain under consideration and no final position has been reached.

The Department is supporting the Adult Social Care workforce by improving terms and conditions through introducing a new Fair Pay Agreement, and supporting career development and progression by implementing the first ever career structure and investing up to £12 million in training and qualifications.

Baroness Casey’s independent commission into adult social care is underway as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The Terms of Reference have been designed to be sufficiently broad to enable Baroness Casey to independently consider how to build a social care system, and workforce, fit for the future.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to extend independent prescribing responsibilities to occupational therapists.

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

We support the expansion of non-medical professional groups being able to use legal mechanisms to prescribe, supply, and administer medicines to patients where it is safe to do so. There is a robust process in place for making such changes to ensure they are safe and beneficial for patients.

We are considering requests for the extension of existing medicines responsibilities and recently concluded a consultation on proposals to extend the medicines responsibilities of four professions. Further information can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure greater collaboration between adult social care and the NHS.

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

Greater collaboration between adult social care and the National Health Service is a priority for the Government. Adult social care is a central part of our commitment to developing a Neighbourhood Health Service that shifts care from hospitals to communities, with more personalised, proactive, and joined-up health and care services that help people stay independent for as long as possible. In 2025/26, approximately £9 billion is being invested through the Better Care Fund to enable NHS bodies and local authorities to pool budgets and deliver joined-up care.

Starting in the financial year 2026/27, we will reform the Better Care Fund. This reform will provide a sharper focus on ensuring consistent joint NHS and local authority funding for those services that are essential for integrated health and social care, such as hospital discharge, intermediate care, rehabilitation and reablement. We will set out further details in due course.

We also provide improvement support to local systems to help them strengthen the delivery of integrated health and social care. This includes the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme and also work with the Local Government Association to deliver targeted and universal support to local systems through the Better Care Fund Support Fund. Information on these can be found respectively on the Neighbourhood Health and the Local Government Association websites.

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Found: In 2009, Lord Bradley conducted a review of mental health in the criminal justice system where he recommended

Found: Lord Bradley, The Bradley Report (April 2009), p. 124. 506 It is worth noting that court processes are

Found: In 2009, Lord Bradley conducted a review of mental health in the criminal justice system where he recommended