Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when will he announce the next phase of Modern Service Frameworks, and what consideration has been given to including musculoskeletal conditions in the next phase of the Modern Service Frameworks.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, as well as an overall quality strategy, the National Quality Board will oversee the development of a new series of service frameworks. These modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery.
Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, sepsis, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia. As advised by the National Quality Board, the Government will consider other conditions for future phases of modern service frameworks, and has recently announced a Modern Service Framework on Palliative and End of Life Care.
We are advancing modern service frameworks for those conditions where we can swiftly and significantly raise the quality of care and productivity. Future phases will address conditions that carry substantial health and economic consequences.
To support people with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, we are working to deliver the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. GIRFT teams are working with health system leaders to reduce MSK community waiting times, which are the highest of all community waits, and improve data and metrics and referral pathways to wider support services.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measures are being taken to manage pressure on NHS services by improving outcomes for patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Improving the health and work outcomes for people with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions will help deliver the Government's mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future.
To manage pressure on NHS services, we are working to deliver the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. GIRFT teams are working with health system leaders to further reduce MSK community waiting times, which are the highest of all community waits, and improve data, metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services.
Patients with MSK conditions will also soon be able to bypass their general practitioners (GPs) and directly access community services, including physiotherapy, pain management, and orthopaedics, in the NHS App. The landmark change will deliver faster treatment for the flare up of existing conditions including arthritis, backpain, and joint pain, while enabling GPs to focus on more complex cases, reducing pressure on hospitals and freeing up GPs.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
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 implications for his policies of the Adult Oral Health Survey 2023, published 9 December 2025.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Adult Oral Health Survey 2023 provides the first picture of adult oral health in England for more than a decade. It provides further evidence of the need for dental contract reform.
We are taking forward significant changes to the National Health Service dental contract. The reforms will prioritise patients with urgent dental needs and those requiring complex treatments and will come in from April 2026. More information is available at the following link:
We are committed to fundamental reform of the NHS dental contract by the end of this Parliament, with a focus on improving access, promoting prevention and rewarding dentists fairly.
The Government is also focussed on prevention of poor dental health through our supervised toothbrushing programme to reach up to 600,000 children in the 20% most deprived areas of England, and by expanding community water fluoridation to the North East of England. This intervention will reach an additional 1.6 million people and will reduce tooth decay and inequalities in dental health, particularly in children and vulnerable adults.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
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 ensure capital investment in NHS estate and infrastructure supports improvements in climate resilience.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the importance of increasing the climate resilience of the National Health Service estate and infrastructure. NHS trusts are responsible for maintaining their estate, including adapting premises to reduce the risks associated with climate change, as set out in the NHS Standard Contract.
The Department is supporting the improvement of NHS sites by investing £30 billion over the next five years in day-to-day maintenance and repair, with £5 billion allocated specifically to address the most critical building issues. NHS trusts will be able to direct some of this funding towards improving the climate resilience of their estate where this is locally appropriate. Additionally, the Department is making sure all new hospitals are fit for the future. The Department’s New Hospital Programme requires schemes to achieve a minimum rating of BREEAM ‘Excellent’ for new builds, and ‘Very Good’ for refurbishments. All NHS investments in new buildings and upgrades to existing facilities that are subject to HM Treasury business case approval process must align with the NHS Net Zero Building Standard, which includes a focus on overheating risks.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
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 implications for his policies of the report from the Royal College of Anaesthetists entitled Anaesthetic Workforce Census 2025: Key Interim Findings, published on 29 October 2025.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made. Officials have noted the Royal College of Anaesthetists’ report. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, published in July 2025, over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set out the change in the number of dental appointments available in the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board area in 2025-26 compared to 2024-25.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not held centrally. Activity within the National Health Service dental contract is measured through Courses of Treatment delivered, rather than the number of appointments.
The NHS Business Services Authority publishes Dental Statistics – England, which is an annual publication providing information on dental activity and dental workforce data for NHS dental treatments in England. This includes information on the number of patients seen by an NHS dentist and NHS dental activity at dental contract level. The latest publication for 2024/25 is available from the following link:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202425
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many golden hellos for new dentists have been allocated to Waveney Valley constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello Scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
We do not hold Golden Hello data at a constituency level but, as of 22 September in England, 97 dentists are in post. A further eight dentists have been recruited but are yet to start in post under this scheme. A further 224 posts are currently being advertised.
ICBs continue to work with practices in their area to support recruitment to these posts.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
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 during the transition to the NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board to ensure that the level of the dental workforce meets any change in demand in the East of England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a critical role to play in the future as strategic commissioners, and this is going to be central to realising the ambitions that have been set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. Any proposed changes to the ICBs in the east of England will not impact the requirement for ICBs to commission dentistry services that meet the needs of their population.
The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.
We recently held a full public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and the quality of, NHS dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much was spent on primary care NHS dental services net of patient charge revenue in (a) cash and (b) real terms in each financial year since 2010-11.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The table attached shows the total spend on primary care National Health Service dental services net of patient charge revenue in cash and real terms in each financial year since 2010/11. Data for 2024/25 is not published yet.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's document entitled Dentistry Cost Survey published on 13 May 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of incorporating the results of the cost of dental services survey into (a) reform of the NHS dental contract and (b) trends in the level of funding for dentistry.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is conducting a research project to better understand the costs and pressures associated with running a dental practice in England. The aim is to support ambitions on dental reform by ensuring that the Government has an objective and accurate understanding to inform policy development. It will also improve understanding around the sustainability of the current system. As part of this research, a survey was launched on 13 May 2025 and closed 16 June 2025. We are currently reviewing and analysing the responses to understand the findings.
The results of the Dentistry Cost Survey will enhance the information and data we currently have to inform and support effective future policy measures, including dental reform.
The Government’s ambition is to deliver fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.