Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the risk that removing minimum requirements for clinical representation on integrated care board boards will lead to poorer commissioning decisions and higher long-term costs.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Clinical leadership is essential to effective commissioning. Every integrated care board (ICB) is required to have appropriate clinical leaders as members of their board, typically a Medical Director and Nursing Director. In addition, ICBs should ensure that primary care expertise, including pharmacy, dentistry and ophthalmology, is embedded within ICB decision-making.
More broadly, ICBs have a duty to keep the membership of their boards under review to ensure they have the necessary experience and expertise, and the flexibility to supplement their board membership as needed.
It is also important that boards are effective strategic commissioners, which is why we have proposed removing provider representatives from ICB boards, in line with our commitment to simplify and focus National Health Service accountability.
We expect local clinical leadership, including all areas of primary care, to be closely involved in the work of developing neighbourhood health provision.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department will take to protect and strengthen the clinical voice in the new integrated care structures.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Clinical leadership is essential to effective commissioning. Every integrated care board (ICB) is required to have appropriate clinical leaders as members of their board, typically a Medical Director and Nursing Director. In addition, ICBs should ensure that primary care expertise, including pharmacy, dentistry and ophthalmology, is embedded within ICB decision-making.
More broadly, ICBs have a duty to keep the membership of their boards under review to ensure they have the necessary experience and expertise, and the flexibility to supplement their board membership as needed.
It is also important that boards are effective strategic commissioners, which is why we have proposed removing provider representatives from ICB boards, in line with our commitment to simplify and focus National Health Service accountability.
We expect local clinical leadership, including all areas of primary care, to be closely involved in the work of developing neighbourhood health provision.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how her Department will ensure that clinical representation on integrated care boards is protected, given the estimated £1 billion to £1.3 billion cost of the reorganisation.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Clinical leadership is essential to effective commissioning. Every integrated care board (ICB) is required to have appropriate clinical leaders as members of their board, typically a Medical Director and Nursing Director. In addition, ICBs should ensure that primary care expertise, including pharmacy, dentistry and ophthalmology, is embedded within ICB decision-making.
More broadly, ICBs have a duty to keep the membership of their boards under review to ensure they have the necessary experience and expertise, and the flexibility to supplement their board membership as needed.
It is also important that boards are effective strategic commissioners, which is why we have proposed removing provider representatives from ICB boards, in line with our commitment to simplify and focus National Health Service accountability.
We expect local clinical leadership, including all areas of primary care, to be closely involved in the work of developing neighbourhood health provision.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what monitoring the Food Standards Agency undertakes to assess the prevalence of foodborne pathogens, including Salmonella and Campylobacter, in chicken meat produced from fast-growing and slower-growing breeds.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No such assessment related to the speed of growth has been conducted, but the Food Standards Agency conducts regular surveillance of foodborne pathogens, including Campylobacter and Salmonella species, in chicken meat held out for retail sale in the United Kingdom, and keeps the factors affecting their prevalence under regular review.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Women's Equity Framework will include specific provision on reducing inequalities in menopause care.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Women’s Health Equity Framework specifically addresses inequalities in menopause care, alongside heavy menstrual bleeding. It will support systems to identify disparities and take evidence-informed action to reduce inequalities in access, experience and outcomes.
The Framework is in the final stages of preparation and will be published in due course.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when NHS England plans to publish the Women’s Health Equity Framework.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Women’s Health Equity Framework specifically addresses inequalities in menopause care, alongside heavy menstrual bleeding. It will support systems to identify disparities and take evidence-informed action to reduce inequalities in access, experience and outcomes.
The Framework is in the final stages of preparation and will be published in due course.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what meetings, calls and correspondence have taken place since 18 September 2026 between Palantir Technologies UK, including Lord Watson, Ministers and senior officials in DHSC and NHS England.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Details of meetings held by ministers and senior officials with external individuals and organisations are published on a quarterly basis in the Department’s transparency data.
Lord Watson wrote to myself and my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 18 September on behalf of Palantir Technologies UK. A response has not yet been sent.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the forthcoming Mental Health Strategy will include measures to improve access to NHS Talking Therapies, and what options will be available to patients for whom a course of treatment has not been effective.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since coming to office, this Government has recruited thousands of extra mental health staff, increased access to National Health Service talking therapies, started the roll-out of mental health specialists to every school and college in the country, and announced a major expansion of mental health support within the community, with £187 million allocated for 100 community mental health centres, and £156 million for 59 mental health emergency departments.
Later this year, we will also publish our new mental health strategy for England, setting out our plans to transform mental health care into a system that responds earlier, reduces waiting times for support, intervenes earlier, and supports people to stay active and participate in education, work, family, and community life.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen mental health support and services as part of the forthcoming Mental Health Strategy.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since coming to office, this Government has recruited thousands of extra mental health staff, increased access to National Health Service talking therapies, started the roll-out of mental health specialists to every school and college in the country, and announced a major expansion of mental health support within the community, with £187 million allocated for 100 community mental health centres, and £156 million for 59 mental health emergency departments.
Later this year, we will also publish our new mental health strategy for England, setting out our plans to transform mental health care into a system that responds earlier, reduces waiting times for support, intervenes earlier, and supports people to stay active and participate in education, work, family, and community life.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the correlation between the availability of live traffic data in ambulances and average response times to Category 1 and Category 2 calls.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The specific information requested by the Hon. Member regarding live traffic updates is not centrally held. All ambulance vehicles have satellite navigation systems that assist crews to identify the location of each emergency. These are updated regularly to ensure the information within them remains current, and to reflect feedback from operational crews and managers who are trained on these systems and understand best the areas they serve.