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, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2026 to Written Question 7918 on Antimicrobials, whether the expected timetable for contract award under the UK antimicrobial subscription model remains November 2026; and whether the Department is able to share a more specific expected date for contract commencement within quarter one of 2027.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Yes.
Specific dates for contract commencement within quarter one of 2027 will be communicated in due course.
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 estimate he has made of the number of patients who no longer meet the criteria to reside in hospital in the Royal Hampshire County Hospital.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on the number of patients who no longer meet the criteria to reside at a hospital level. However, figures by trust are published monthly by NHS England, and are available at the following link:
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 is her latest estimate of the cost of a) increasing the upper capital limit for social care to £100,000 and b) increasing the lower capital limit for social care to £25,000.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 29 July, as set out in the link below, the Prime Minister set out his objectives to reform the social care system, and brought forward the timetable for Baroness Casey’s commission to inform that reform programme:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-sets-out-new-path-to-fix-social-care-together-29-july-2026
All aspects of the current system will be reviewed as part of that process, including capital limit thresholds, and we will continue to update Parliament on a regular basis.
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 the Mental Health Strategy for England will aim to improve outcomes specific to family carers of those with severe mental illness.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the many challenges that people care for loved ones with severe mental illnesses face every day, and we will consider the needs of family carers as we develop a new mental health strategy designed to ensure better support is accessible to people across the country with mental health needs.
The forthcoming Mental Health Strategy for England will set out the Government’s priorities for improving mental health and wellbeing and will be informed by engagement with people with lived experience, and their families and carers.
Alongside this, the Government is developing a Modern Service Framework for severe mental illness, which will set consistent standards across the country so that people with severe mental illness receive the best quality, evidence-based, and equitable care and support. Recognising the important role that carers and families play is an important part of this.
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 Preet Kaur Gill
The Department cannot provide information on how many shifts were recorded as not fully staffed on England’s maternity units in each of the last five years, as this information is held regionally by the National Health Service and by individual NHS trusts.
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
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
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 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.