Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of cannabis-related mental health admissions on NHS finances.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to reducing the harm from all illicit drugs. Any illegal drug use, including cannabis, can be harmful, both from immediate side-effects and long-term physical and mental health problems. It can, for some, have a negative impact on their fertility. Cannabis use can contribute to and exacerbate existing mental health problems or can accelerate their development in people predisposed to mental health problems.
No estimate has been made of the annual cost to the National Health Service specifically of cannabis-related health conditions or the impact of cannabis-related mental health conditions on NHS finances. An assessment cannot be accurately made because the data relating to cannabis and mental health related health conditions and admissions is presented across various settings. The diagnosis code for ‘mental and behavioural disorders due to use of cannabinoids’ does not include admissions to mental health hospitals or cannabis-related treatment occurring outside of a hospital setting.
Dame Carol Black’s review of evidence related to drugs, published in February 2020, estimated the cost to the NHS of illegal drug use, not substance specific, at £431 million per annum. This includes admissions in secondary care, prison treatment and infectious disease. However, this figure does not include other NHS costs such as primary care or accident & emergency usage so will be an underestimate.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
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 estimate of the annual cost of cannabis-related health conditions to the NHS.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to reducing the harm from all illicit drugs. Any illegal drug use, including cannabis, can be harmful, both from immediate side-effects and long-term physical and mental health problems. It can, for some, have a negative impact on their fertility. Cannabis use can contribute to and exacerbate existing mental health problems or can accelerate their development in people predisposed to mental health problems.
No estimate has been made of the annual cost to the National Health Service specifically of cannabis-related health conditions or the impact of cannabis-related mental health conditions on NHS finances. An assessment cannot be accurately made because the data relating to cannabis and mental health related health conditions and admissions is presented across various settings. The diagnosis code for ‘mental and behavioural disorders due to use of cannabinoids’ does not include admissions to mental health hospitals or cannabis-related treatment occurring outside of a hospital setting.
Dame Carol Black’s review of evidence related to drugs, published in February 2020, estimated the cost to the NHS of illegal drug use, not substance specific, at £431 million per annum. This includes admissions in secondary care, prison treatment and infectious disease. However, this figure does not include other NHS costs such as primary care or accident & emergency usage so will be an underestimate.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 33570 on General Practitioners: Unemployment, which bodies hold data on the number of unemployed GPs; and for what reason that data is not held centrally.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While the General Medical Council register contains data on the number of qualified general practitioners (GPs), the National Health Service is not the is not the sole employer of GPs. They may choose to undertake private work, to work in other settings outside of general practice, for example, prisons or army bases, or to work abroad. Since the NHS only collects data on GPs employed through the NHS, unemployment figures are not available.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered funding public health campaigns to educate young people on the risks of cannabis use within a regulated market.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Cannabis is controlled as a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.The Government recognises the clear medical and scientific evidence of the harms of this drug.
The Government will continue to work with our partners to discourage drug use and to alert people, particularly young people, to the potential dangers of cannabis.
The Government has a drug information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce drug misuse and its harms by increasing awareness, particularly for young people and parents. FRANK offers easy to read information on the risks of using cannabis and basic harm reduction advice. Information on cannabis is available at the following link:
https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/cannabis
The website also has details of drug treatment services and support organisations.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
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 with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of proposed changes to the level of the certificate of sponsorship fee per worker on the adequacy of the funding settlement for adult social care announced in the Autumn Budget 2024.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2025, laid on 21 January 2025, sets out increases to the fee maxima that applies to the Certificate of Sponsorship from £300 to £525. These changes were agreed via collective agreement. If fees increase as set out in the Explanatory Memorandum to this Order, an Impact Assessment will be produced by the Home Office.
International recruitment has played a valuable role in helping to grow the adult social care workforce. The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth and improve the retention of the domestic workforce. The Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
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 the proposed increase in the certificate of sponsorship fee on recruitment in the social care sector.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2025, laid on 21 January 2025, sets out increases to the fee maxima that applies to the Certificate of Sponsorship from £300 to £525. These changes were agreed via collective agreement. If fees increase as set out in the Explanatory Memorandum to this Order, an Impact Assessment will be produced by the Home Office.
International recruitment has played a valuable role in helping to grow the adult social care workforce. The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth and improve the retention of the domestic workforce. The Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
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 the proposed increase in the certificate of sponsorship fee on the adult social care sector; and if he will hold discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on making more funding available to support the adult social care sector.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2025, laid on 21 January 2025, sets out increases to the fee maxima that applies to the Certificate of Sponsorship from £300 to £525. These changes were agreed via collective agreement. If fees increase as set out in the Explanatory Memorandum to this Order, an Impact Assessment will be produced by the Home Office.
International recruitment has played a valuable role in helping grow the adult social care workforce. The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth and improve the retention of the domestic workforce. The Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.
Adult social care is a central part of local government’s responsibilities. Decisions about the funding of all local government priorities will be taken in the round at the Spending Review.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the number of registered GPs not in employment; and whether he is taking steps to reduce the number of unemployed GPs.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We hugely value the critical role that general practitioners (GPs) play and are determined to address the issues they face by shifting the focus of the National Health Service beyond hospitals and into the community. The Government committed to recruiting over 1,000 recently qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment and secure the future pipeline of GPs.
We are investing an additional £889 million through the GP contract to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.
Under recently announced changes to the GP contract in 2025/26, the ARRS will become more flexible to allow primary care networks (PCNs) to respond better to local workforce needs. The two ARRS pots will be combined to create a single pot for reimbursement of patient facing staff costs. There will be no restrictions on the number or type of staff covered, including GPs and practice nurses.
In a drive to recruit GPs via the ARRS and to bring back the family doctor, the salary element of the maximum reimbursement amount that PCNs can claim for GPs will be increased from £73,113 in 2024/25, the bottom of the salaried GP pay range, to £82,418, an uplift of £9,305 representing the lower quartile of the salaried GP pay range, as some GPs will be entering their second year in the scheme. Proportionate employer on-costs will also be included within the overall maximum reimbursement amount which PCNs will be able to claim.
Data on the number of unemployed GPs is not held centrally.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the adequacy of the mechanisms in place for ICBs to hold Swift Queue to account for faulty services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has not undertaken a specific assessment of the mechanisms in place for integrated care boards (ICBs) to hold Swift Queue accountable for service performance. However, ICBs, as commissioners of local health services, are responsible for ensuring that contracted service providers, including those providing digital booking systems, meet agreed performance and quality standards.
Where issues arise with faulty services, ICBs have contractual levers available to address concerns, which may include service improvement plans, financial penalties, or contract reviews. If a specific issue has been identified with Swift Queue’s service provision, affected ICBs are expected to take appropriate action to resolve the matter in the interests of patient care. Where an ICB identifies systemic failures with Swift Queue or any similar provider, they can escalate concerns through NHS England and the relevant regulatory bodies.
To note, ICBs are not always responsible for commissioning services like Swift Queue. National Health Service trusts may also directly procure and manage such contracts for their own operations. If an NHS trust has commissioned Swift Queue, then it holds responsibility for ensuring the system functions properly, using its contractual levers to address service issues. Regardless of the commissioner, ICB or trust, NHS England can provide oversight and guidance if widespread or systemic issues arise with the platform.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the NHS is of sourcing a haematopoietic stem cell donation from the UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry compared to stem cell donation imports from United States, Germany and Poland; and what the oversight mechanism is for agreeing these costs.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Details on the costs of haematopoietic stem cell transplants are not held centrally by the Department.
The UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry supplies stem cells from United Kingdom donors to the National Health Service. It is made up of four partners: Anthony Nolan and DKMS UK, which are both independent charities; NHS Blood and Transplant; and the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry. The cost to the NHS for provisions of donated peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs), cord blood units and donor lymphocytes from UK sources is reviewed annually by the UK Aligned Registry partners and reflects the costs involved in the provision of cell products. Costs are communicated to transplant centres by Anthony Nolan on behalf of the Aligned Registry, with due notice of implementation. Cost increases are maintained at or below inflation with adjustments to avoid any corresponding large increase in a given year.
For products from international sources, Anthony Nolan is the importing organisation. Products are charged at the international registry fee plus a flat service fee. The international registry fee can vary significantly, depending on the organisation or country from which the product is being imported, the graft source, whether it be PBSCs, bone marrow or cord blood units, and the current foreign exchange rate. The service fee includes: management and maintenance of the search system and international search connections; facilitating the import of the stem cell product; quality assurance and management; and legal and insurance costs for the import of stem cell products.
Fees for both UK and international cell products are charged directly to NHS transplant centres. NHS England has oversight of the tariff paid to NHS hospitals to cover the cost of unrelated donor transplantation and individual NHS hospitals or Trusts oversee how funds for unrelated transplants are allocated.
The choice of donor is made by the medical team, who choose the donor they feel will be best for their patient, whether that is a donor available in the UK or one available overseas.