Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
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 that (a) clinical leadership and (b) specialist networks currently hosted by NHS England are maintained during and after its abolition.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Clinical leaders and networks of specialists across the country play a vital role in providing advice, catalysing change, and improving care. Following the announcement that NHS England will be abolished as an arm’s length body and replaced by a new Department of Health and Social Care, work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and to plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilities.
The new Department will operate in a leaner, more agile, and more efficient way and will empower staff at all levels of the health system, including local clinical systems, to deliver better care for patients, drive productivity up, and get waiting times down. This change will set local National Health Service providers free to innovate, develop new productive ways of working, and focus on what matters most.
A new Joint Executive Structure came into effect on 3 November, providing unified leadership across the Department and NHS England to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan and oversee the transition to a single, integrated Department. The executive structure includes the Chief Medical Officer, national medical directors, and the Chief Nursing Officer, and they will play a key role in ensuring that the right infrastructure is in place to provide clinical leadership and advice.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps will be taken to avoid disruption to frontline services (a) during and (b) after the abolition of NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our commitment to the delivery of frontline services for patients underpins the transformation. We will simplify the National Health Service and remove layers of unnecessary bureaucracy, which will allow us to reinvest more into the frontline, so patients receive safe, timely care and are heard and listened to.
It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, and we will do this throughout. Ongoing assessment is part of the reform programme and evidence collected will inform the programme as appropriate and ensure our decisions focus on improving patient care. The Government is committed to transparency and will consider how best to ensure the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcome.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress she has made on implementing the provisions in Schedule 8 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 on access to cash; and what discussions she has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the effectiveness of its powers to enforce those provisions.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses.
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 granted the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) the responsibility and powers to seek to ensure the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. The FCA introduced regulatory rules to protect access to cash in September 2024. Its rules ensure cash continues to be a viable method of payment for the millions of people who depend on it by providing reasonable access to cash withdrawal and deposit facilities for individuals and businesses, including free services for personal accounts.
The FCA is required by law to keep its rules under review and has been closely monitoring the impact and effectiveness of their regime during its first year. It will commence a formal evaluation of its regime in due course.
The Government meets regularly with the FCA to discuss a range of topics.