Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 changes to funding for integrated care boards on local healthcare (a) planning and (b) service delivery.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the necessary changes to support the National Health Service to recover, NHS England has indicated that integrated care boards (ICBs) should reduce in size. The Government is supportive of NHS England’s decision and will work with NHS England to make the necessary choices that are needed to get the NHS back on its feet. We expect ICBs to continue to deliver their responsibilities including the planning and delivery of health and care services.
Ministers will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to ensure that the expected hundreds of millions of pounds savings made will be reinvested in frontline services to deliver better care for patients.
Further detail on the future of ICBs was provided in a letter issued to all ICBs and NHS trusts and foundation trusts on 1 April 2025. This letter is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/working-together-in-2025-26-to-lay-the-foundations-for-reform/
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce nationally commissioned services for the treatment of primary progressive aphasia.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to introduce such nationally commissioned services. We are committed to delivering high quality care and support for every person with dementia, and central to this is the provision of personalised care and support planning for post diagnostic support.
Provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). It is the expectation that ICBs commission services based on local population needs, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. It is the responsibility of ICBs to work within their geographical area to offer services that meet the needs of their population.
Local authorities are required to provide or arrange services that meet the social care needs of the local population under the Care Act 2014.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 NHS patient choice within the field of ophthalmology.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to giving patients greater choice and control over their care and throughout their elective care pathway, including those referred to ophthalmology services.
Patients have an existing legal right to choose where they go for their first appointment, when referred to consultant-led care as an outpatient. Currently, less than a quarter of patients recall being offered a choice of provider. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the work needed to empower patients with greater choice and control, in order to make informed choices. This includes improving the information available to patients to support their decisions, such as improved waiting time information.
We also published a Partnership Agreement between the National Health Service and the independent sector, which sets out the support needed to drive patient choice, which can include choosing provision from independent providers.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the consultation entitled 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme, published on 30 January 2025, what steps his Department is taking to seek views from people living with ADHD through that consultation.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is following standard procedure in its consultation on the NHS Payment Scheme. NHS England consults on changes to the payment scheme every year, as they are required to by law. While the legal requirement is just for NHS England to consult commissioners and providers, they do accept responses from other interested parties and members of the general public.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 engage with UNISON to resolve disputes on the NHS pay structure.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to resetting relationships with the National Health Service workforce and its trade unions, and health ministers have met UNISON officials to discuss their concerns. The Government has been clear that it remains committed to providing a funded mandate to the NHS Staff Council to negotiate changes to the Agenda for Change pay structure.
The Department intends to deliver this mandate in 2025/26, and we have asked the NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB) to provide a view on the level of funding that should be provided. Once we receive the NHSPRB’s report and the funding has been confirmed, the Department will work closely with the NHS Staff Council, including UNISON, to agree the changes to the pay structure.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 18 October 2024 to Question 8352 on Surrogacy, whether he plans to publish details of the meeting of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health with the Law Commission; and whether he plans to implement the recommendations of the report.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministerial meetings attended by third parties are declared in the quarterly transparency publication on GOV.UK. The Government will publish a response to the Law Commission’s report on surrogacy in due course.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 number of qualified GPs working in the NHS; and if he will make an estimate of what the proportional change in the number of qualified GPs working in the NHS will be by 2036.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are working to increase the general practice (GP) workforce in England. This includes measures to boost recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession, and encourage them to return to practice.
NHS England is working to address training bottlenecks so the health service has enough staff for the future, and we will provide £82 million to fund the recruitment of over 1,000 newly qualified GPs, via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, so patients can get the care they need.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer on 15 May 2024 to Question 25226 on Hospices: Children, what factors she plans to take into account when considering the future of the NHS Children's Hospice Grant beyond 2024-25.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government is committed to the long-term sustainability of high-quality palliative and end of life care for all children and young people. The Children's Hospice Grant ended in 2023/24. NHS England has, however, once again provided £25 million of funding for children’s hospices for 2024/25, which will be distributed via integrated care boards as part of the Service Development Fund, in line with the move to wider National Health Service devolution. NHS England is currently considering the future of this funding stream beyond 2024/25.
NHS England has developed a palliative and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative and end of life care needs of their local population.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 15 May 2024 to Question 25226, on Hospices: Children, when she plans that consideration of the future of the NHS Children's Hospice Grant beyond 2024/25 will be concluded.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government is committed to the long-term sustainability of high-quality palliative and end of life care for all children and young people. The Children's Hospice Grant ended in 2023/24. NHS England has, however, once again provided £25 million of funding for children’s hospices for 2024/25, which will be distributed via integrated care boards as part of the Service Development Fund, in line with the move to wider National Health Service devolution. NHS England is currently considering the future of this funding stream beyond 2024/25.
NHS England has developed a palliative and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative and end of life care needs of their local population.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of NHS provision of specialist ME or chronic fatigue syndrome services; and if she will take steps to increase the number of clinicians who specialise in ME or chronic fatigue syndrome.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), provides funding for research projects which aim to understand the underlying causes of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and find new treatments for the condition. As part of this, the NIHR and the Medical Research Council have funded the world’s largest genome-wide association study of ME/CFS. This £3.2 million study, termed DecodeME, will analyse samples from 25,000 people with ME/CFS to search for genetic differences that may indicate underlying causes, or an increased risk of developing the condition. By helping us to understand ME/CFS better, this research has the potential to lead to new treatments for the condition.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning specialist ME/CFS services that meet the needs of their population, subject to local prioritisation and funding. The process of commissioning services should take into account best practice guidance, such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance on ME/CFS diagnosis and management, published in October 2021. In addition, in October 2023, the British Association of Clinicians in ME/CFS published the ME/CFS National Services Survey. This report provides insight into the services being delivered for adults, children, and young people with ME/CFS.