Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 average length of time of a GP appointment.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 whether disabled parking provision at NHS and primary care premises is adequate to meet patient demand.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No national assessment he has made of whether disabled parking provision at National Health Service and primary care premises is adequate to meet patient demand.
Disabled parking provision on the public sector estate is mandated through national planning rules, and all NHS facilities must meet the requirements.
NHS organisations decide how they provide parking locally, based on the needs of patients, visitors, and staff, as well as environmental factors. The NHS car parking guidance requires free parking to be provided for four groups: disabled people; frequent outpatient attenders; parents of sick children staying overnight; and staff working night shifts. Further information is avaiable at the following link:
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure that families of babies identified as deaf through the newborn hearing screening programme receive timely and appropriate support from birth.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Newborn babies whose hearing screening suggests they may have deafness and hearing impairment are referred for an audiological assessment within four weeks.
A family centred approach underpins all recall processes to prioritise clear communication and support for families, ensuring transparency and minimizing harm. Working with the National Deaf Children’s Society, a range of communications have been developed with families to help support families of babies and children who are deaf or have hearing loss.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, commissioned the recently published, independent Kingdon review that includes a number of recommendations on how children’s hearing services need to be improved.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many enforcement actions relating to breaches of animal welfare regulations at slaughterhouses were taken by the Food Standards Agency in each of the last five years; and how many of those related to non-stun slaughter.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Between April 2020 and March 2025, 1,935 animal welfare breaches posing potential or imminent animal welfare risk were recorded in slaughterhouses in England and Wales, requiring 2,320 enforcement actions. Some breaches required multiple actions, such as verbal advice followed by written advice.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) does not routinely collect data on slaughter methods. Approved slaughterhouses may use any compliant method and are not legally required to inform the FSA of the stunning method. Many establishments alternate between stunned and non-stunned slaughter to meet demand. Breaches of animal welfare regulations can occur at any stage after arrival, so it is not possible to confirm whether the method involved was stunned or non-stunned.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of issuing guidance to retailers on reducing the cost of infant formula for low-income families on that cost.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government, working with the devolved administrations of Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, has set out a strong package of measures on 3 December 2025 in the four-nations’ Government response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s market study on competition in the infant formula market. This will give parents and carers the confidence to choose lower priced infant formula products, encourage manufacturers and retailers to compete more on price, and remove unnecessary barriers to making infant formula more affordable.
As part of this work, we will update guidance to retailers making clear when store loyalty card points, coupons, or gift vouchers may be used as payment for infant formula, in lieu of cash.
We anticipate that the guidance will remove an unnecessary barrier to supporting families with the cost of infant formula, as well as enabling retailers to confidently offer the use of these cash alternatives in compliance with the infant formula regulations.
Modelling by the Competition and Market’s Authority estimated that switching from the most expensive to the cheapest infant formula products on the market could save families up to £540 in a baby’s first year. Our package of measures is aimed at supporting parents to make informed choices, including understanding that all infant formula products meet the same nutritional standards and are sufficient for a growing baby’s needs, regardless of the price or brand.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what mechanisms exist for healthcare professionals to report poverty in people with terminal illnesses to the Department for Work and Pensions.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department for Work and Pensions does not ask healthcare professionals to report a patient’s poverty status.
The Government remains committed to providing a financial safety net for those who need it. Support is available through the welfare system to those who are unable to work, are on a low income, or have additional costs as a consequence of a long-term health condition or disability but who are not eligible to pensioner benefits because of their age
For those nearing the end of their life, the Government’s priority is to provide people with financial support quickly and compassionately. The main way this is applied is through the Special Rules for End of Life. These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment or serve waiting periods, and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 impact of Resident Doctor strikes on the delivery of healthcare services in Lancashire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made a formal assessment of the potential impact of resident doctor strikes on the delivery of healthcare services in Lancashire specifically.
The National Health Service makes every effort through rigorous contingency planning to minimise disruption as a result of industrial action and to mitigate its impact on patients and the public. During the industrial action by resident doctors from 14 to 19 November 2025, data published by NHS England showed that the NHS met its ambitious goal to maintain 95% of planned care, surpassing the 93% protected during action in July, while still maintaining critical services, including maternity services and urgent cancer care. All hospitals are asked to do a pre-assessment ahead of strike action.
To minimise the potential impact of the next round of resident doctor strike action, planned for 17 to 22 December, NHS England wrote to all trusts on 15 December asking them to prepare for planned industrial action. This includes conducting risk assessments and collecting data to estimate the impact on elective care. This letter is available at the following link:
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the number of medical graduates who have been unable to secure training scheme posts in the last three years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Upon entering the National Health Service after graduation, medical students enter a two-year period of foundation programme placements. The United Kingdom Foundation Programme Office has successfully allocated foundation programme places to all eligible applicants in each of the past three years. These total 10,634 applicants for the 2025 programme, 9,702 for the 2024 programme, and 8,655 in 2023.
Upon successful completion of the foundation programme most doctors choose to apply for speciality training programmes. Competition for speciality training posts has grown in recent years, in part due to the introduction of health and care visas in 2020, as well as the decision to remove the Resident Labour Market Test for doctors in 2020 which has meant that more international medical graduates are applying for speciality training places, increasing the number of candidates for roles.
The table below presents the number of specialist training program applicants and the number of available posts in England by round. The difference between these two numbers is not exactly the number of candidates unable to secure a position as some applicants may not meet the thresholds set for recruitment to specialty training and some may be offered a specialty training post but for a range of reasons do not take up that position.
Round One | Round Two | |||
Entry year | Unique Applicants | Available Posts | Unique Applicants | Available Posts |
2023 | 20,297 | 9,265 | 6,081 | 3,415 |
2024 | 26,203 | 9,331 | 7,179 | 3,412 |
2025 | 33,870 | 9,479 | 8,481 | 3,354 |
Source: NHS England Medical Specialty Programme Applications Data.
Round one of the medical specialty application process includes applications to first year specialty training and core training programmes, often referred to as ST1 and CT1 respectively, and some ‘higher’ medical specialty training programmes, usually at year three, often referred to as ST3. Round two is for entry to most ‘higher’ medical specialty training programmes, ST3 or ST4. There will be a limited number of doctors who apply in a year to both rounds one and two.
The 10-Year Health Plan set out that 1,000 more specialty training places would be created over the next three years.
On 8 December, the Government put an offer in writing to the British Medical Association Resident Doctors Committee which would have put in place emergency legislation in the new year which would prioritise UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates for foundation training, and prioritise UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time for specialty training. This would have applied for current applicants for training posts starting in 2026, and every year after that.
The British Medical Association has rejected the Government's offer and the Government will consider its next steps.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 reduce transmission of influenza in Lancashire.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our flu vaccination campaign started in September, and is helping to keep people out of hospital.
The UK Health Security Agency is also working closely with colleagues in NHS North West and local integrated care boards (ICBs). There continues to be sustained multi-agency communications and marketing across the localised area and work is ongoing to promote and amplify prevention measures. Work continues to encourage prevention through targeted communications using local data to both the public and stakeholders whilst work is ongoing, as in every winter season, to show trends locally to allow the local health family to act accordingly via shared data and intelligence.
The ICB has stepped up public messaging around getting the flu vaccine for eligible groups and the importance of choosing the right service. This has included promoting a bespoke winter campaign in the local area as well as press releases, social media, and broadcast interviews at a local and regional level.
Some local hospitals have made it mandatory for staff to wear a surgical mask in any areas with suspected or confirmed influenza patients, and those patients who are suspected as having influenza on triage may also be asked to wear a mask. Masks are also available to patients and relatives in waiting areas.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Department has assessed the potential benefits of enabling GPs to issue automatic repeat prescriptions for patients on stable, long-term medication.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Responsibility for prescribing, including the issue of repeat prescribing and the duration of prescriptions, rests with the prescriber who has clinical responsibility for that particular aspect of a patient’s care.
Electronic repeat dispensing is already implemented in the National Health Service and allows prescribers to authorise and issue a batch of repeat prescriptions for up to 12 months with just one digital signature. Since April 2019, the GP Contract has stated that electronic repeat dispensing should be used for all patients for whom it is clinically appropriate.
Prescriptions for longer periods of time may be more appropriate and more convenient for some patients with stable long-term conditions. However, for some patients, issuing shorter prescriptions may be appropriate to give the prescriber the opportunity to review the patient’s medicines, which is important for some treatment courses that require greater scrutiny or monitoring to be managed appropriately.