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 his Department is taking steps to ensure that UK medical graduates are prioritised for training posts in the National Health Service.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July, we will work across the Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training. We will set out next steps in due course.
NHS England has also taken steps to tackle competition for speciality training places this year by changing General Medical Council registration requirements and limiting the number of applications that can be submitted by individuals.
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 recent trends in the length of NHS waiting lists in (i) Fylde and (ii) Lancashire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are clear that the extent of waits for treatment is unacceptable, and cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. We have committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment.
We are committed to transforming elective services to ensure patients get timely access to the care they need. This includes investing £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years for diagnostic, elective, and urgent and emergency capacity in the NHS.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, we delivered 5.2 million additional appointments compared to the previous year, more than double our pledge of two million. This marks a vital first step towards delivering the constitutional standard.
We promised change, and we have made good progress. As of the end of September 2025, 61.8% of pathways on the waiting list are within 18 weeks, an improvement of 3.3% since September 2024, and the number of waits over 18 weeks has reduced by almost 320,000 over the same period.
Waiting list data is not available by constituency. The NHS trust that covers the Fylde constituency is the Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. As of the end of September 2025, the waiting list at this trust stood at 42,630, and 56.1% of these pathways were within 18 weeks, an improvement of 0.4% since the start of July 2024, when it was 55.7%.
As of the end of September 2025, the waiting list at the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board stood at 248,818, 61.6% of which were within 18 weeks, an improvement of 2.5% since the start of July 2024, when it was 59.1%.
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 his Department is taking to improve (a) diagnosis and (b) management of patients with (i) overlapping and (ii) co-existing chronic illnesses.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the increasing prevalence of co-existing chronic illnesses and the importance of developing strategies to support people living with multiple co-morbidities. For that reason, we have appointed a dedicated National Specialty Advisor for Multi-Morbidity.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, more tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of technology will all support people to manage overlapping and co-existing chronic illnesses closer to home.
Neighbourhood health services will be organised around the needs of their patients and will take a joined-up, holistic approach with multi-disciplinary teams who can provide wrap-around support services to people with overlapping and co-existing chronic illnesses.
The NHS App will be enhanced to allow patients to manage appointments and medications, and view or create their own care plans. My Medicines will enable patients to manage their prescriptions, and My Health will enable patients to monitor their symptoms and bring all their data into one place. Patients will be able to self-refer to services where clinically appropriate through My Specialist on the NHS App. This will accelerate their access to treatment and support.
Our 10-Year Health Plan outlines our ambition for 95% of people with complex needs to have an agreed care plan by 2027. Care plans will be co-created with patients and cover their holistic needs. We will also expand the uptake of personal health budgets. By 2030, one million patients with long-term conditions will be offered Personal Health Budgets, which will enable them to use National Health Service resources and determine care that best suits their needs. It will provide patients with greater choice and control over their care, leading to better health outcomes and increased independence.
We will also introduce a new Single Patient Record across the NHS, which will bring together a patient’s medical records all into one place. It will mean that no matter where a patient is accessing care, in the community or in a hospital, the care provider will have a comprehensive understanding of their medical history.
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, when he plans to provide an answer to Question 89730 on Chronic Illnesses: Diagnosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 November 2025 to Question 89730.
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 discussions his Department has had with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges on overseas doctors competing for UK training posts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has regular discussions with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges about a range of issues, including recruitment to foundation and specialty training posts.
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 his Department is taking to improve (a) early detection and (b) surveillance of antibiotic-resistant infections.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Unified Infection Dataset (UID) supports early detection of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through epidemiological outputs, infectious disease surveillance, outbreak response, and allied research with rich linked data. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has developed innovative analytical tools for large datasets via the UID and the Enterprise Data Analytics Platform (EDAP). AMR-related data continues to be ingested into the EDAP, including:
The EDAP aims to deliver a strategic platform for data enrichment, data analytics, and data science for AMR and HCAI and will support streamlined and timely surveillance outputs to tackle AMR and improve public health.
The UKHSA’s Porton AMR network leads on the discovery and development of novel antimicrobials, optimising antibiotic combinations, vaccines, and non-traditional therapies. The UKHSA is also working on advancing AMR typing and whole genome sequencing reference laboratory services and providing clinical advice to support NHS England front line services dealing with AMR associated infections.
NHS England is streamlining diagnostic innovation through the cross-sector ‘Moving Forwards Infection Diagnostics’ events series. Engagement will inform an ‘infection diagnostics framework’ by 2027 and identify target product profiles for diagnostics needed in the National Health Service. A rapid review pipeline to identify optimal tests within the market and assess how existing diagnostics can be optimised is also being produced. These winter ‘Point of Care Testing’ pilots have been funded to further build the evidence base.
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 help ensure that patients are not adversely affected by strike action.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our priority is to keep patients as safe as possible during any industrial action. The National Health Service makes every effort through rigorous contingency planning to minimise the disruption of industrial action and its impact on patients and the public. Assessments are made by local trusts on the levels of resourcing available, and they can escalate concerns via regions and nationally, where appropriate.
The NHS works hard to prioritise resources to protect all patients using its services during the period of strike action, in particular emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and to ensure we prioritise patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.
Due to the dedication of NHS staff and a different operational approach from previous strikes, the NHS in England significantly reduced disruption to patients during resident doctor strikes in July, with data showing that 11,000 extra patients received care compared to the previous period of strike action.
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, with reference to the UK Health Security Agency's news story entitled Nearly 400 antibiotic-resistant infections each week in 2024, published on 13 November 2025, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the higher rates of antibiotic-resistant infections in more deprived communities.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Actions taken to tackle higher rates of resistant infections in more deprived communities include a health inequalities outcome within the latest United Kingdom antimicrobial resistance (AMR) national action plan, which is available at the following link:
Commitments under this outcome aim to improve data reporting on health inequalities in AMR and antibiotic use, publish a toolkit of resources that supports organisations to develop interventions, and implement and evaluate interventions to address inequalities in AMR.
NHS England encourages regions and integrated care boards to focus on building trust to increase the uptake of vaccinations. They work with community and faith leaders particularly in areas of high deprivation, using a make every contact count approach.
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, if he will make an assessment of the extent of regional disparities in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Just under 18 million people, or over 30%, of all ages in England were estimated to be affected by a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition in 2023, and improving their health and work outcomes will help deliver this Government's missions to build a National Health Service fit for the future and kickstart economic growth.
Data shows there are regional disparities in the prevalence of MSK conditions. In England in 2024, those in the most deprived Index of Multiple Deprivation decile were most likely to report a long term MSK problem, at 19.9%, compared to the least deprived decile, at 16.5%.
To tackle this, we are delivering the ‘Getting It Right First Time’ MSK Community Delivery Programme which is working to reduce MSK community waiting times, improve data and metrics and referral pathways to wider support services, which will benefit patients now and into the future.
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, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of covering the insurance costs of employers for volunteer workers in healthcare settings.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently no plans to undertake an assessment regarding insurance arrangements for volunteer workers in healthcare settings.
Whilst all regulated healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom are legally required to maintain appropriate clinical negligence cover and most are covered by state schemes for their National Health Service work, for volunteers it depends on the arrangements made by the NHS organisation. Some volunteer organisations may already have their own insurance in place for their volunteers. It is up to individual NHS organisations to make decisions about the management and deployment of volunteers to support their service needs.