Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
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 developing a National GP Retention Strategy backed by ring-fenced funding.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has committed to increasing the number of general practitioners (GPs), and this includes doing more to address GP retention and the reasons why GPs leave the profession. The 10-Year Health Plan, which will be published in spring 2025, will set out a long-term vision to train and retain the staff the National Health Service needs to be fit for the future. The plan will be shaped by responses from the public, NHS staff, and experts to the biggest national conversation about the future of the NHS since its birth, launched by the Department and NHS England in October.
Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 5.149 of Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, how long discounts on the Right to Buy scheme will be reduced for.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The discount levels in question will remain in place until further notice.
Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Premier League clubs on gambling sponsorship on their websites.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
All major sporting bodies, including the Premier League, have published their gambling sponsorship Codes of Conduct, setting minimum standards for socially responsible gambling sponsorships. As part of the Code of Conduct, clubs must ensure that no gambling sponsor logos or other promotional materials relating to gambling sponsorship appear on sections of their website which are designed to be viewed and used specifically by children. The Premier League’s decision to ban front-of-shirt sponsorship by gambling firms will also commence by the end of the 2025/26 season.
The Department will closely monitor the implementation of the Codes to ensure they have a meaningful impact.
Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
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 requiring NHS Trusts to amalgamate patient data across primary care.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has announced the intention for there to be a single patient record, including primary care and hospital data, so professionals have the data they need when treating patients and are able to make better informed decisions and deliver more preventative health and care.
We are in the early stages of engaging with the public and stakeholders to understand their views about the use of health and care data. We will use the findings to form the basis of any future plans regarding a single patient record.
Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
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 impact of the provision of advice on plant-based diets by clinicians in primary care settings on (a) achieving the aim in the NHS Long Term Plan of supporting patients to adopt improved healthy behaviours and (b) the cost of health care.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) discussed the topic of plant-based diets at its horizon scan meetings in 2022 and 2024. The SACN concluded it is an important topic and will continue to grow in interest, particularly from a sustainability viewpoint. The SACN agreed to keep the topic on its watching brief. Meeting papers are available on the SACN’s website, at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-committee-on-nutrition#sacn-meetings
Government advice on a healthy, balanced diet is encapsulated in the United Kingdom’s national food model, the Eatwell Guide. The Eatwell Guide depicts a diet that is based on fruit, vegetables, and higher fibre starchy carbohydrates. It divides the foods and drinks we consume into five main groups and illustrates that both animal products and plant-based products can be part of a healthy balanced diet. Further information on the Eatwell Guide is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-eatwell-guide
These Eatwell Guide nutrition principles underpin the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF). Hospitals, the Government, and their agencies are required to apply the GBSF, with other public sector settings also encouraged to follow. Further information on the GBSF is available at the following link:
Adherence to the Eatwell Guide has been shown to significantly improve both health and environmental outcomes, as per the 2020 Scheelbeek et al. study, with appreciably lower environmental impact than the current UK diet, as noted in 2016 by the Carbon Trust. Further information on the Scheelbeek et al. study and the Carbon Trust’s analysis is available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/8/e037554
Given that most people in the UK do not currently follow a diet in line with Government’s dietary recommendations, moving the population to dietary intakes in line with the Eatwell Guide remains the priority.
The Government recognises the valuable contribution that plant-based foods and drinks can make to people’s diets, alongside the contribution that fish and animal-based foods and drinks can make. Health care professionals in primary care settings are expected to provide a wide range of advice and support to patients that is based around their clinical needs. This advice should be based on robust clinical evidence and should allow patients freedom of choice over the way their care is planned and delivered, which includes individual dietary requirements and preferences where appropriate.
Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Lord Darzi's Independent investigation of the NHS in England, published on 12 September 2024, what steps his Department is taking to support integrated care boards to increase capital expenditure in the primary care estate.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, which means we require world class NHS infrastructure across the entire NHS estate. Beyond hospitals, we know we need the right infrastructure in the right place to deliver on our commitments of creating a true Neighbourhood Health Service and ensuring that patients receive the care they deserve.
At the Autumn Budget, we established a dedicated capital fund of £102 million to deliver approximately 200 upgrades to general practice surgeries across England, supporting improved use of existing buildings and space, boosting productivity, and enabling delivery of more appointments. This funding represents a first step in delivering the additional capital the primary care sector needs. It responds directly to issues highlighted by Lord Darzi’s independent review of the NHS and is the first dedicated national capital fund for primary care since 2020.
The Department and NHS England are working with integrated care boards to prioritise high-impact projects where investment can unlock significant productivity gains and additional usable space from existing buildings. Capital budgets for 2026/27 onwards will be considered through Phase 2 of the Spending Review process, concluding in Spring 2025.