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 his Department's press release entitled 14 NHS trusts the focus of national maternity investigation, published on 15 September, what his planned timeline is for completion of each local trust investigation; what the interim milestones will be; and if he will provide regular updates to Parliament on progress.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent investigation is chaired by Baroness Valerie Amos and supported by a small team of expert advisors.
Local investigations will be carried out by trained investigators who will spend several days on site at each trust, supported by a small team. Our current expectation is that visits will take place between October and December 2025, though these timings are indicative only, and are subject to final confirmation, particularly in light of the pressures faced by trusts during the winter months.
The investigation will produce an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025, with a final report and recommendations to be published in spring 2026. This is due to the ambition, size, and scope of the investigation.
The 14 National Health Service trusts were selected by the independent investigation based on a variety of factors, including results from the Care Quality Commission’s Maternity Patient Survey and Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK’s Perinatal Mortality Rates, in addition to variation in case mix, trust type, geographic coverage, provision of care to individuals from diverse backgrounds, and family feedback.
Three of the trusts have been included due to their inclusion in previous investigations or reviews, with these three trusts being the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, and the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.
By taking this approach, the investigation can capture learning from a wide range of provision and experiences, ensuring the findings are relevant across the system.
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 his Department's press release entitled 14 NHS trusts the focus of national maternity investigation, published on 15 September 2025, if he publish the full data and methodology used to select the 14 NHS trusts under investigation.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent investigation is chaired by Baroness Valerie Amos and supported by a small team of expert advisors.
Local investigations will be carried out by trained investigators who will spend several days on site at each trust, supported by a small team. Our current expectation is that visits will take place between October and December 2025, though these timings are indicative only, and are subject to final confirmation, particularly in light of the pressures faced by trusts during the winter months.
The investigation will produce an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025, with a final report and recommendations to be published in spring 2026. This is due to the ambition, size, and scope of the investigation.
The 14 National Health Service trusts were selected by the independent investigation based on a variety of factors, including results from the Care Quality Commission’s Maternity Patient Survey and Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK’s Perinatal Mortality Rates, in addition to variation in case mix, trust type, geographic coverage, provision of care to individuals from diverse backgrounds, and family feedback.
Three of the trusts have been included due to their inclusion in previous investigations or reviews, with these three trusts being the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, and the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.
By taking this approach, the investigation can capture learning from a wide range of provision and experiences, ensuring the findings are relevant across the system.
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 help ensure that NHS trusts move into financial surplus by 2030.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service priorities and operational planning guidance 2025/26 made it clear that living within budget, reducing waste and increasing productivity is a priority. This year’s financial framework changes include making deficit support funding conditional on performance, implementing a financial override in the Oversight Framework, and introducing additional support for efficiency and productivity through the new Financial Performance and Improvement Programme. The 10-Year Health Plan also made several longer-term commitments to strengthen the NHS financial foundation, which are now being taken forward, including:
(a) A commitment to deliver 2% annual productivity growth, which will unlock £17 billion in savings over 3 years.
(b) A new approach to NHS financial management including multi-year settlements, and phasing out deficit support funding;
(c) Sharper financial incentives including the use of best practice tariffs, and changing the funding model to encourage urgent and emergency care to shift to the community;
(d) A fairer geographical distribution of funding, to target areas with disproportionate economic and health challenges; and
(e) Reform of the capital regime, giving more power to the frontline and speeding up the capital approvals process.
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 plans to expand the Further Faster 20 programme.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Further Faster 20 (FF20) initiative was announced in September 2024, run by the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) team in NHS England to deploy expert advice to National Health Service trusts in areas with the highest levels of economic inactivity to get patients treated faster.
Data from October 2024 to August 2025 shows waiting lists across these areas have been reduced by over 66,000.
Whilst there are currently no formal plans to expand the FF20 programme, key learnings have been taken from the FF20 work to date which are available to all trusts. This includes vital work on clinic template standardisation. An operational guide developed by GIRFT from FF20 trust engagement demonstrates to trusts across the country how they can unlock additional outpatient capacity and activity across relevant specialities. Work is ongoing to support trusts to adopt approaches outlined in this guidance.
GIRFT is a national programme designed to improve the treatment and care of patients across more than 40 surgical and medical specialties, including diagnostics, day case surgery, outpatient services and clinical coding. GIRFT has already expanded its on-the-ground support to NHS trusts through the GIRFT Further Faster Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) programme to support 20 acute providers in England strengthen UEC pathways ahead of the winter period.
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 availability of continuous positive airway pressure machines for NHS patients diagnosed with sleep apnoea.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made by the Department.
The provision of treatments for sleep apnoea is a commissioning matter and these decisions are the responsibility of integrated care boards, taking into account the needs of their local populations and national guidance such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on diagnosis and management of obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome.
NICE has recommended continuous positive airway pressure machines (TA139) as a treatment option for adults with moderate or severe symptomatic obstructive sleep apnoea or hypopnoea syndrome, where certain clinical criteria are met.
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 increase the availability of histotripsy treatment on the NHS.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Histotripsy is a non-invasive ultrasound treatment that destroys tumours without the need for surgery or radiation. It was one of eight transformative technologies supported through the Government’s Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP) pilot. This programme aimed to streamline patient access to medical devices that address an unmet clinical need in the National Health Service.
Through the IDAP, an Unmet Clinical Need Authorisation was granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, exempting the manufacturer from certain regulatory requirements under specific conditions given the critical unmet need of liver cancer, allowing early market access. Histotripsy is now available for conditional use in the NHS for patients with liver tumours. NHS treatments will begin in October 2025 as a first in Europe, strengthening the United Kingdom’s position as a global leader in medical innovation.
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 increase the availability of virtual GP appointments.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are expanding capacity in general practice (GP) which will help deliver more virtual and face-to-face appointments to patients.
In October 2024, we invested £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of an additional 2,000 GPs into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. We have invested an additional £1.1 billion in GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service. This is the biggest increase in over a decade, and we are pleased that the General Practitioners Committee England is supportive of the contract changes. Additionally, the new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 practices across England in order to deliver 8.3 million more appointments each year.
As a result of these efforts, eight million more appointments have been delivered this year compared to last.
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 recent discussions his Department has had with the Nursing and Midwifery Council on the balance of academic and practical training in nurse education programmes.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No recent discussions have taken place. Higher education institutions and practice placement providers develop the content of programmes and determine the balance of academic and practical learning in line with the outcome standards set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Nursing students are required to complete 2,300 hours of practice learning as part of their pre-registration programme, 600 of which can be completed through simulated training. The NMC is currently conducting a review of nursing and midwifery practice learning requirements.
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 support is available for NHS mental health staff who are injured at work or absent due to work-related stress.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The health and wellbeing of National Health Service staff is a top priority, including those who work in mental health settings. It is important that employers across the NHS take a preventative and proactive approach to supporting their staff and keeping them healthy. At a national level, NHS staff have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support alongside the Practitioner Health service for more complex mental health and wellbeing support, including for trauma and addiction.
The 10-Year Health Plan aims to significantly reduce sickness absence rates. We will introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment which will ensure employers support staff to work healthily and flexibly. We will also roll out Staff Treatment hubs, starting in 2027, to ensure staff have access to high quality support for mental health and back conditions.
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 ensure childcare policy supports the recruitment and retention of student nurses as part of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, updated on 22 April 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department for Education provides the primary funding support package for English domiciled students in higher education through the student loans system. Eligible students can also apply for the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance.
The Department of Health and Social Care provides eligible healthcare students, including student nurses, with supplementary, non-repayable support via the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF). This includes a £5,000 training grant for all students eligible for the LSF and a further £2,000 per academic year for those students with childcare responsibility. These funding arrangements are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.
We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan (10YWP) to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. This 10YWP will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.