Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many resident doctor trauma and orthopaedics training places were offered by each integrated care board in England in 2023–24 and 2024–25.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on medical specialty training places by integrated care board, but is able to present data by National Health Service training region. The following table shows the number of trauma and orthopaedics specialist training posts available in the 2023 and 2024 entry rounds by region:
Region | 2023 round posts | 2024 round posts |
East Midlands | 19 | 11 |
East of England | 18 | 11 |
Kent, Surrey and Sussex | 15 | 17 |
London | 20 | 36 |
North East | 6 | 8 |
North West | 16 | 13 |
South West | 13 | 13 |
Thames Valley | 3 | 3 |
Wessex | 7 | 10 |
West Midlands | 13 | 17 |
Yorkshire and the Humber | 13 | 14 |
Total | 143 | 153 |
Source: NHS England, available on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.
The table presents the number of posts offered at specialist training stage three, meaning medical professionals will already have undertaken at least two years of relevant core training or equivalent before entry to this specialty training programme.
We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. This is central to the vision in our 10 Year Plan.
We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the NHS in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many resident doctor paediatric training places were offered by each integrated care board in England in 2023–24 and 2024–25.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on medical specialty training places by integrated care board, but is able to present data by National Health Service training region. The following table shows the number of paediatric specialist training posts available in the 2023 and 2024 entry rounds by region:
| Specialist training stage one | Specialist training stages three and four | ||
Region | 2023 round posts | 2024 round posts | 2023 round posts | 2024 round posts |
East Midlands | 32 | 32 | 14 | 7 |
East of England | 42 | 31 | 6 | n/a |
Kent, Surrey and Sussex | 18 | 25 | n/a | 4 |
London | 107 | 107 | 24 | 15 |
North East | 19 | 19 | 2 | 1 |
North West | 47 | 42 | 9 | 8 |
South West | 26 | 28 | 18 | 4 |
Thames Valley | 20 | 16 | 4 | 2 |
Wessex | 14 | 16 | n/a | n/a |
West Midlands | 36 | 37 | 6 | 2 |
Yorkshire and the Humber | 56 | 59 | 18 | 5 |
Total | 417 | 412 | 101 | 48 |
Source: NHS England, available at the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.
The table presents the number of posts offered at both specialist training stage one, and at stages three or four. The latter stages mean that the medical professionals will likely have already undertaken at least three or four years of relevant training, or an equivalent, before entry to this later stage of the specialty training programme.
We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. This is central to the vision in our 10 Year Plan.
We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the NHS in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many resident doctor medical oncologist training places were offered by each integrated care board in England in 2023–24 and 2024–25.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on medical specialty training places by integrated care board, but is able to present data by National Health Service training region. The following table shows the number of medical oncology specialist training posts available in the 2023 and 2024 entry rounds by region:
Region | 2023 round posts | 2024 round posts |
East Midlands | 5 | 4 |
East of England | 7 | 11 |
Kent, Surrey and Sussex | 8 | 8 |
London | 11 | 19 |
North East | 4 | 1 |
North West | 11 | 10 |
South West | 8 | 6 |
Thames Valley | 4 | 5 |
Wessex | 5 | 2 |
West Midlands | 8 | 5 |
Yorkshire and the Humber | 7 | 6 |
Total | 78 | 77 |
Source: NHS England, available on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.
The table presents the number of posts offered at specialist training stage three, meaning medical professionals will already have undertaken at least two years of relevant core training or the equivalent, before entry to this specialty training programme.
We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. This is central to the vision in our 10 Year Plan.
We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the NHS in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many resident doctor gynaecologist training places were offered by each integrated care board in England in 2023–24 and 2024–25.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on medical specialty training places by integrated care board but is able to present data by National Health Service training region. Data is only available for the combined obstetrics and gynaecology specialist training pathway, as opposed to specifically gynaecology specialist training. The following table shows the number of obstetrics and gynaecology specialist training posts available in the 2023 and 2024 entry rounds by region:
| Specialist training stage one | Specialist training stage three | ||
Region | 2023 round posts | 2024 round posts | 2023 round posts | 2024 round posts |
East Midlands | 18 | 20 | 24 | 12 |
East of England | 22 | 26 | 6 | 14 |
Kent, Surrey and Sussex | 23 | 18 | 5 | 4 |
London | 58 | 52 | 3 | 4 |
North East | 15 | 15 | 2 | 1 |
North West | 37 | 41 | 2 | 10 |
South West | 22 | 16 | 5 | 1 |
Thames Valley | 10 | 16 | 3 | 5 |
Wessex | 11 | 11 | 3 | 5 |
West Midlands | 26 | 27 | 5 | 6 |
Yorkshire and the Humber | 27 | 27 | 4 | 13 |
Total | 269 | 269 | 62 | 75 |
Source: NHS England, available on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.
The table presents the number of posts offered at both specialist training stages one and three. The latter meaning medical professionals will already have undertaken at least two years of relevant training or equivalent before entry to this later stage of the specialty training programme.
We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. This is central to the vision in our 10 Year Plan.
We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the NHS in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to implement the planned transformation of the NHS App to support seamless delivery of pharmacy services, including by enabling patients to nominate distance-selling pharmacies for home delivery.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS App supports seamless pharmacy services by allowing patients to order repeat prescriptions, nominate their preferred pharmacy, and manage their medication. A new prescription tracker feature means that nearly 1,500 pharmacies are now offering the new prescription tracking service through the NHS App, which provides updates on when prescriptions are ready to be collected. Work has also commenced on an ‘in App’ notification, which will enhance this feature further.
In relation to nominating distance selling pharmacies (DSPs), users of the NHS App are currently given the option to nominate a ‘high street’ or an ‘online-only’ pharmacy. For those wishing to nominate ‘online-only’ pharmacies, users are directed to the internet pharmacies section, to search for and contact their chosen DSP directly, as key information is required by the DSP before the nomination can be applied.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following publication of the Information Commissioner's Office guidance on anonymisation in March, what assessment they have made of NHS England’s decision not to apply the NHS National Data Opt Out to pseudonymisation of medical records for secondary use purposes that do not qualify as necessary processing.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Information Commissioner’s Office detailed guidance on anonymisation and pseudonymisation, which is a helpful and welcome resource. NHS England continues to apply the National Data Opt Out option, in line with the National Data Opt Out Policy guidance, which the Department keeps under review.
The Department and NHS England are currently conducting large-scale public engagement on health data in the National Health Service to help inform future policy on opt-out options.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 18 March (HL5406), what assessment, if any, they have made of the impact of the 2025–26 Payment Scheme and Standard Contract on (1) the willingness of ophthalmology service providers to build new specialist eye hospitals in England, and (2) the ability and willingness of other independent providers of NHS funded care in England to build new health infrastructure to meet the demands of the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made of the impact the 2025/26 Payment Scheme and Standard Contract will have on the willingness of ophthalmology service providers to build new specialist eye hospitals in England, or the ability and willingness of other independent providers of National Health Service funded care in England to build new health infrastructure. It is for independent sector providers to determine the most appropriate investment decisions for their businesses.
However, decisions around the annual Payment Scheme and updates to the Standard Contract are subject to consultation, with a legal duty to consult on the Payment Scheme and Standard Contract every year. This includes consultation with independent providers.
The consultation on the Payment Scheme proposed requiring commissioners to set a payment limit for elective services, and all services paid for on an activity basis, based on the value of planned levels of activity. Providers would not be paid for activity above this limit. Following consideration of consultation feedback, this proposal has not been implemented. As in previous years, providers will be paid prices for all activity delivered, subject to any activity management restrictions contractually applied by commissioners. A consultation on further changes to the Standard Contract closed on 28 April 2025, and NHS England is reflecting on the feedback received before publishing the final contract.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government which body directions to transfer data, made by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care under section 254 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, will be given to following the abolition of NHS England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.
As we develop what this new centre looks like we will be transparent and clear about the precise changes in organisational design. It is essential that information relating to people’s identifiable health and care is shared appropriately, lawfully, and in line with their reasonable expectations.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made in switching asthma patients from reliever medication to combination medication, in line with updated guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the British Thoracic Society.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
To support implementation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance, NHS England has been engaging with health system partners to coordinate resources and implementation efforts, to make sure that patients are on the appropriate treatment regimen and are using their inhaler at the right time, with the right technique.
The over-prescribing of reliever inhalers amongst people with asthma has seen a steady fall over the past few years. The percentage of patients on the Quality and Outcomes Framework asthma register who received six or more Short Acting Beta-2 Agonist reliever inhaler prescriptions over the previous 12 months fell from 19.8% in April 2022 to 15.9% in February 2025.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what engagement is taking place between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department of Health and Social Care about the utilisation of music activities to support the health and wellbeing of parents and young children.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to reforming services in the National Health Service to ensure every school has access to specialist mental health professionals, providing early support for young people.
NHS England recognises the value of music therapy in supporting children's mental health. The Department for Education's ongoing Curriculum and Assessment Review aims to broaden the curriculum, ensuring subjects like music, arts, sport, and drama are not overlooked.
The Government will be launching a new National Music Education Network, helping parents, teachers and children find information on courses, classes and more.