Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure the appropriate oversight and operational effectiveness of NHS procurement policies following the abolition of NHS England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Health Bill currently before Parliament will abolish NHS England and move the majority of its powers and functions to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Work is ongoing to plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilities ahead of April 2027, when NHS England will cease to exist as a separate entity.
The new commercial delivery model will ensure compliant, high-quality commercial decisions and will oversee procurement and contract management to secure value for money, deliver intended outcomes, and strengthen supplier performance.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to organise NHS procurement to ensure value for money at all levels following the abolition of NHS England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Health Bill currently before Parliament will abolish NHS England and move the majority of its powers and functions to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Work is ongoing to plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilities ahead of April 2027, when NHS England will cease to exist as a separate entity.
The new commercial delivery model will ensure compliant, high-quality commercial decisions and will oversee procurement and contract management to secure value for money, deliver intended outcomes, and strengthen supplier performance.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of a respiratory modern service framework as a mechanism for reducing health inequalities, supporting economic participation, and strengthening the UK's life sciences sector.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government will consider in due course other long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity.
After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme, and will take into account any relevant recommendations and representations made by other bodies, including the Taskforce mentioned by the Noble Lord.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations of the Taskforce for Lung Health's report Breathing Life into the NHS, published on 8 July; and what plans they have to introduce a respiratory modern service framework.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government will consider in due course other long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity.
After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme, and will take into account any relevant recommendations and representations made by other bodies, including the Taskforce mentioned by the Noble Lord.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to issue guidance to Integrated Care Boards on patient, carer, and public involvement in the commissioning of specialised services.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are already subject to statutory duties to involve patients and the public in the planning, development, and consideration of proposals for changes to health services. The Government is committed to ensuring that patients, carers, and the public continue to play a central role in shaping specialised services. The Health Bill proposes to further strengthen local arrangements by making ICBs directly responsible for gathering and acting on patient and public feedback.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many funded foundation year 1 posts have been identified for the third and fourth NHS UK Foundation Programme 2026 reserve-list allocation rounds, broken down by Foundation School; and what estimate they have made of the number of applicants likely to remain unallocated after the fourth round.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 implements the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training places, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with significant National Health Service experience for specialty training places. This year, at the point of primary allocation, there were more applicants for the 2026 Foundation Programme than places available. This meant that eligible non-prioritised applicants were placed on a national reserve list.
Five rounds of allocation from the reserve list took place between June and August 2026, resulting in 476 applicants being allocated to a Foundation School. Following the final allocation round on 12 August 2026, 188 applicants remained on the reserve list. There are no current plans to run any further rounds to allocate places from the reserve list, nor to fund any additional places on the UK Foundation Programme 2026.
We recognise the potential impact of prioritisation on applicants who are eligible for a foundation training place but do not receive one. The UK Foundation Programme Office aims to be as transparent as possible with affected applicants and provide guidance at every stage of the allocation process.
For individuals who did not secure a Foundation Year 1 post this year, there are alternative routes to pursuing a medical career in the UK. These include obtaining full General Medical Council (GMC) registration through other established GMC pathways, such as completing an approved internship in the country where they trained and then entering the UK healthcare system through applying to a locally employed doctor role or another non-training post.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial, professional, and mental health impact on applicants in the non-prioritised group who completed the eligibility process for the NHS UK Foundation Programme 2026 but remain unallocated; and what steps they are taking to mitigate that impact.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 implements the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training places, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with significant National Health Service experience for specialty training places. This year, at the point of primary allocation, there were more applicants for the 2026 Foundation Programme than places available. This meant that eligible non-prioritised applicants were placed on a national reserve list.
Five rounds of allocation from the reserve list took place between June and August 2026, resulting in 476 applicants being allocated to a Foundation School. Following the final allocation round on 12 August 2026, 188 applicants remained on the reserve list. There are no current plans to run any further rounds to allocate places from the reserve list, nor to fund any additional places on the UK Foundation Programme 2026.
We recognise the potential impact of prioritisation on applicants who are eligible for a foundation training place but do not receive one. The UK Foundation Programme Office aims to be as transparent as possible with affected applicants and provide guidance at every stage of the allocation process.
For individuals who did not secure a Foundation Year 1 post this year, there are alternative routes to pursuing a medical career in the UK. These include obtaining full General Medical Council (GMC) registration through other established GMC pathways, such as completing an approved internship in the country where they trained and then entering the UK healthcare system through applying to a locally employed doctor role or another non-training post.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with NHS England, the UK Foundation Programme Office, and Foundation Schools about creating additional funded foundation year 1 posts for applicants remaining on the NHS UK Foundation Programme 2026 reserve list; and what the outcome of those discussions has been.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 implements the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training places, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with significant National Health Service experience for specialty training places. This year, at the point of primary allocation, there were more applicants for the 2026 Foundation Programme than places available. This meant that eligible non-prioritised applicants were placed on a national reserve list.
Five rounds of allocation from the reserve list took place between June and August 2026, resulting in 476 applicants being allocated to a Foundation School. Following the final allocation round on 12 August 2026, 188 applicants remained on the reserve list. There are no current plans to run any further rounds to allocate places from the reserve list, nor to fund any additional places on the UK Foundation Programme 2026.
We recognise the potential impact of prioritisation on applicants who are eligible for a foundation training place but do not receive one. The UK Foundation Programme Office aims to be as transparent as possible with affected applicants and provide guidance at every stage of the allocation process.
For individuals who did not secure a Foundation Year 1 post this year, there are alternative routes to pursuing a medical career in the UK. These include obtaining full General Medical Council (GMC) registration through other established GMC pathways, such as completing an approved internship in the country where they trained and then entering the UK healthcare system through applying to a locally employed doctor role or another non-training post.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide funding for a time-limited transitional expansion of NHS UK Foundation Programme 2026 capacity, including additional standard, supernumerary, and delayed-start foundation year 1 posts, to support applicants remaining on the reserve list; and if not, why not.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 implements the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training places, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with significant National Health Service experience for specialty training places. This year, at the point of primary allocation, there were more applicants for the 2026 Foundation Programme than places available. This meant that eligible non-prioritised applicants were placed on a national reserve list.
Five rounds of allocation from the reserve list took place between June and August 2026, resulting in 476 applicants being allocated to a Foundation School. Following the final allocation round on 12 August 2026, 188 applicants remained on the reserve list. There are no current plans to run any further rounds to allocate places from the reserve list, nor to fund any additional places on the UK Foundation Programme 2026.
We recognise the potential impact of prioritisation on applicants who are eligible for a foundation training place but do not receive one. The UK Foundation Programme Office aims to be as transparent as possible with affected applicants and provide guidance at every stage of the allocation process.
For individuals who did not secure a Foundation Year 1 post this year, there are alternative routes to pursuing a medical career in the UK. These include obtaining full General Medical Council (GMC) registration through other established GMC pathways, such as completing an approved internship in the country where they trained and then entering the UK healthcare system through applying to a locally employed doctor role or another non-training post.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the NHS UK Foundation Programme 2026 reserve-list will remain open beyond round 4 to fill approved vacancies arising after the August start date.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 implements the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training places, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with significant National Health Service experience for specialty training places. This year, at the point of primary allocation, there were more applicants for the 2026 Foundation Programme than places available. This meant that eligible non-prioritised applicants were placed on a national reserve list.
Five rounds of allocation from the reserve list took place between June and August 2026, resulting in 476 applicants being allocated to a Foundation School. Following the final allocation round on 12 August 2026, 188 applicants remained on the reserve list. There are no current plans to run any further rounds to allocate places from the reserve list, nor to fund any additional places on the UK Foundation Programme 2026.
We recognise the potential impact of prioritisation on applicants who are eligible for a foundation training place but do not receive one. The UK Foundation Programme Office aims to be as transparent as possible with affected applicants and provide guidance at every stage of the allocation process.
For individuals who did not secure a Foundation Year 1 post this year, there are alternative routes to pursuing a medical career in the UK. These include obtaining full General Medical Council (GMC) registration through other established GMC pathways, such as completing an approved internship in the country where they trained and then entering the UK healthcare system through applying to a locally employed doctor role or another non-training post.