Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for the launch of the UK antimicrobial subscription model, including (a) the award and (b) commencement of contracts.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On behalf of all the nations of the United Kingdom, NHS England published an invitation to tender for the UK subscription model for antimicrobials on 24 August 2024. The assessment of each product is being undertaken by a panel convened by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence against the award criteria. Once that process is complete, the results will be communicated to bidders along with an award offer where appropriate.
Following the award offer, it is normal practice for a 10-day standstill period before contracts commence. Further details on timings will be available once the assessment process is complete, however, suppliers involved in the process have already been advised that contract award is likely to be in November, with contracts commencing from quarter one of 2027.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Neighbourhood Health Framework published on 17 March, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the inclusion of infection diagnostics within the plan; and what steps are being taken to ensure access to rapid and point‑of‑care diagnostic tests to support accurate diagnosis, appropriate antimicrobial prescribing, and the reduction of unnecessary antibiotic use in primary care.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Neighbourhood Health Framework focuses on improving access to diagnostic services by bringing them closer to home as part of the wider ambition to shift care from hospital to community settings. In this context, it commits NHS England to reviewing direct access to diagnostics for general practice and undertaking a review of diagnostic services to map existing community diagnostic centre capacity and planned expansion.
Rapid and point‑of‑care infection diagnostics can play an important role in supporting clinical decision-making, antimicrobial stewardship, and more appropriate antibiotic prescribing. The Government’s approach to improving access to these technologies is informed by the UK 2024–2029 National Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance, which identifies improved diagnostics and diagnostic stewardship as key priorities in reducing unnecessary antimicrobial use. The UK 2024–2029 National Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance is available at the following link:
NHS England and local systems will continue to consider opportunities to improve access to appropriate diagnostic technologies, including rapid and point‑of‑care tests, as part of wider efforts to strengthen community diagnostic pathways. Decisions on the adoption and use of these technologies are guided by evidence on clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and operational feasibility.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many shifts were recorded as not fully-staffed on England’s maternity units in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - 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: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many midwives started working in the NHS in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England. This covers staff working for hospital trusts and integrated care in England. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, the human resources system for the National Health Service. The published data includes information on the turnover of staff, including the number of staff who have joined active service in the preceding 12 months. This information can be found in the file NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Turnover – data tables, at the following link:
Joiners are defined as any member of staff who was not active in the workforce 12 months previously who is present in the latest workforce data, hence joiners may include staff who are returning from longer periods of unpaid leave as well as those newly recruited, who may have been working in other health and social care settings previously.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many undergraduates enrolled for a midwifery degree in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data published by the Office for Students in the Higher Education Students Early Statistics Survey (HESES) collates figures submitted by individual higher education providers to give an indication of the number of students studying in each academic year.
HESES data includes figures on undergraduate midwifery courses in England. The latest published data is for those starting courses in 2025. The following table shows the number of undergraduate starters on midwifery courses in England for 2016 to 2025:
Year | Starters |
2016 | 1,860 |
2017 | 2,150 |
2018 | 2,550 |
2019 | 2,930 |
2020 | 3,460 |
2021 | 3,565 |
2022 | 3,305 |
2023 | 3,255 |
2024 | 3,245 |
2025 | 3,340 |
Source: HESES 2018 to 2022.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
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 that occupational therapists receive adequate training opportunities and support.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England recognises the vital role occupational therapists play across the health and care system and is committed to supporting a skilled, sustainable workforce.
Post registration training and development for occupational therapists is the responsibility of employers and is aligned to identified service requirements and individual learning needs. This support spans the full career pathway, including preceptorship or foundation practice for newly registered staff, enhanced and advanced practice roles, and consultant level practice.
Employers are supported through a range of funded and accredited education and training routes. National Health Service trusts receive a dedicated Continued Professional Development funding allocation to enable registered allied health professionals, including occupational therapists, to access ongoing learning and skills development. In addition, a range of education and training grants are available, with funding routes and levels aligned to staff grade and stage of development. Training opportunities are designed to support priority service areas such as community and neighbourhood services, mental health, elective recovery, and population health, while also enabling occupational therapists to develop leadership, advanced clinical, education, and research capabilities.
These arrangements ensure occupational therapists are supported to maintain and enhance their skills throughout their careers, respond to service needs, and deliver safe, effective, and high-quality care.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will commit to meeting with EDS UK before the end of the year.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and ministers regularly meet with a wide range of stakeholders, including patient groups and charities, to inform policy development and to understand lived experience. Officials from the Department have also engaged with organisations representing people affected by Ehlers–Danlos syndromes (EDS).
While it is not possible to commit to specific meetings within a set timeframe, the Department remains open to continued engagement with EDS UK and other stakeholders as part of its ongoing work to improve care and outcomes for people living with complex and long‑term conditions.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that AI-based mental health tools do not replace access to human-delivered psychological support where this is clinically appropriate.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed
The Government is clear that artificial intelligence (AI) based tools must not replace access to human‑delivered psychological support where this is clinically appropriate.
Digital and AI tools can be used to support mental health services and those in need of those services, for example by helping with administrative tasks, triage, or appointment management, and these benefits can enable clinicians to spend more time delivering direct care. However, decisions about treatment and care must always be clinically led and based on individual patient need.
Publicly available AI applications that are not deployed by the National Health Service, such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini, are not regulated as medical technologies and may offer incorrect or harmful information. People experiencing mental health difficulties are strongly encouraged to seek support from qualified professionals through NHS services or trusted charities.
Spending across mental health services, both specialised commissioning and ICB combined, and including learning disability, autism, and dementia, is planned to increase to £20.616 billion in 2025/26, compared to £18.988 billion in 2024/25. Specific funding has also been allocated to expand mental health support in schools to 100% of institutions by 2029/30.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role AI-based mental health tools are expected to have within NHS mental health services.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed
The Government is clear that artificial intelligence (AI) based mental health tools are intended to support and complement, not replace, National Health Service mental health services.
Within NHS mental health services, AI based tools are expected to play a supporting role, for example by helping with administrative tasks such as appointment management, triage support, and updating clinical records, enabling clinicians to spend more time delivering direct, person‑centred care. AI may also support evidence‑based digital interventions, such as digitally enabled therapies, where these are clinically appropriate and have been properly evaluated.
The Government is clear that AI based tools must not replace access to trained mental health professionals, particularly for people experiencing acute distress. Publicly available AI applications that are not deployed by the NHS, such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini, are not regulated as medical technologies and may offer incorrect or harmful information, and people experiencing mental health difficulties are strongly encouraged to seek support from qualified professionals through NHS services or trusted charities.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
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 improve accessibility to tofersen.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed
The Government recognises how important it is that patients with motor neurone disease are able to benefit from access to new clinically and cost-effective treatments. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently evaluating tofersen, a new licensed treatment for SOD-1 motor neurone disease, and the company is expected to make an evidence submission to support the appraisal in early June 2026.
NHS England will explore whether an interim commercial agreement could be supported through the Innovative Medicines Fund should NICE issue a positive draft recommendation for tofersen. This would enable eligible patients to benefit from the treatment several months earlier than would otherwise be the case.