Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a list of training programmes used by civil servants in his Department since 2020.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department’s approach to learning, development, and training programmes is designed to build a highly skilled, confident workforce. The Department has progressively strengthened its offer since 2020 through the introduction and iteration of the Core Skills Programme. The training programme focuses on developing profession specific and working in Government skills.
In addition to departmental learning provisions, business areas are allocated devolved learning and development budgets, enabling them to prioritise training that addresses their own identified capability needs. These individual training requirements tend to be job-specific, personal development, technical, qualifications, or accreditation based, or subject matter expertise related, such as specific policy areas.
A full list of departmental provision since 2020 is provided below, and this is in addition to courses that can be booked individually through Civil Service Learning, the cross Civil Service Learning Platform:
- Management Fundamentals 2020;
- New Manager Programme 2021;
- Experienced Manager Programme 2021;
- Foundation Management Programme 2023;
- Practitioner Management Programme 2023;
- Department of Health and Social Care Management Fundamentals 2023;
- ACAS Line Manager training 2023;
- Core Skills Programme 2023 to present, covering policy, digital, project delivery, commercial, analysis and finance, and working in Government skills;
- the Department’s Management Academy, Managing Change Programme 2023 to 2024, to strengthen capability in leading people through organisational change;
- People Policies Workshop 2025 to present, for line-management learning intervention focused on practical application of core people policies; and
- Leadership Development Programme, which is ongoing.
The Department also delivers a number of talent schemes which incorporate formal training and development programmes alongside on‑the‑job experience. These schemes are designed to build future capability in priority professions and leadership pipelines, supporting individuals at different career stages, including both delegated grades and Senior Civil Servants (SCS), through a combination of a defined learning curriculum, practical development, and coaching and mentoring. A list of departmental talent schemes that have delivered training programmes since 2020 is set out below. For delegated grade talent schemes, they are as follows:
- Health Policy Fast Track Scheme;
- Civil Service Fast Stream;
- Future Leaders Scheme;
- Beyond Boundaries;
- Interdepartmental Talent Programme;
- Summer Internship Programme;
- Autism Exchange Internship Programme;
- Care Leavers Internship Scheme; and
- Civil Service Apprenticeship Programmes.
And for SCS talent schemes, the programmes are as follows:
- Senior Leaders Scheme;
- Directors Leadership Programme;
- Forward Institute Exchange Programme ;
- Forward Institute Fellowship;
- Individual Development Programme;
- OpDel Exchange Programme;
- Policy Fellowship for the Centre for Science and Policy;
- Whitehall and Industry Group Senior Leaders Programme;
- Whitehall and Industry Group Exchange Programme; and
- High Potential Development Scheme.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 potential cost to the public purse of industrial action by resident doctors in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2024, the cost of industrial action by resident doctors was approximately £180 million. In 2025, there were three rounds of industrial action, in July, November, and December, each of five days. We have estimated industrial action costs at £50 million per day, so the total estimated cost for 2025 is £750 million.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 prescription charges on people with Cystic Fibrosis in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has not made an assessment of the potential impact of prescription charges on people with cystic fibrosis in Lincolnshire and has no current plans to review the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate.
There are a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with cystic fibrosis may be eligible. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition, and whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.
People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) are also available. PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with 3-month and 12-month certificates available.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 raise public awareness of bowel cancer in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Yeovil on 30 March 2026 to Question 122582.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 number of operations (a) cancelled and (b) delayed for longer than one month as a result of industrial action by resident doctors in (i) 2024 and (ii) 2025.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data centrally on the number of operations cancelled or delayed for longer than one month specifically as a result of industrial action by resident doctors.
NHS England routinely publishes information on postponed inpatient and outpatient appointments during periods of industrial action, and this information will be published in due course. Further information will be available at the following link:
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 support children's hospices in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that access to high-quality, personalised palliative care can make all the difference for seriously ill children and their families.
Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB), including NHS Lincolnshire ICB, must commission.
Whilst the majority of palliative care and end-of-life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including children and young people’s hospices, also play in providing support to seriously ill children at the end of life and their loved ones.
Children and young people’s hospices received £26 million in revenue funding in 2025/26. This was a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the Children’s Hospice Grant. From this funding, Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People in Loughborough, and Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice, which serve Lincolnshire, received £1,462,000 and £673,000 respectively.
In 2025/26, we announced the continuation of this funding for a further three financial years. This funding will see at least £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children and young people’s hospices in England each year, covering 2026/27 to 2028/29, amounting to approximately £80 million over the three-year period.
Children and young people’s hospices and ICBs have recently been informed of their allocations for 2026/27 although we are not yet in a position to share those individual allocations publicly. Communication regarding future allocations, for 2027/28 and 2028/29, will be sent once the 2026/27 process is complete.
We also supported both the children and young people, and adult, hospice sectors with a £125 million capital funding boost to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. From that funding stream, Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People in Loughborough, and Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice received £740,169 and £410,308 respectively in total.
For the long-term, the Government is developing a Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care for England, with a planned publication date of autumn 2026. Through our MSF, we will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end-of-life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality, and we will also consider contracting and commissioning arrangements as part of this work.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department and NHS England are taking to ensure that (a) patients with acquired brain injuries (ABI) currently resident at the Kemsley Division of St Andrews Hospital are transferred to settings with the appropriate expertise in neuropsychiatry, ABI and neurorehabilitation required to meet their needs and (b) Integrated Care Boards have access to sufficient specialist knowledge to safeguard this patient cohort during the transition.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Securing appropriate placements and clinical support for patients sits with the relevant integrated care boards (ICBs), which commission and fund the individual packages of care. NHS England’s regional specialised commissioning teams work closely with ICBs to provide clinical oversight and advice, including on the neuropsychiatric and neuro‑rehabilitation needs of patients with acquired brain injury. This includes supporting commissioners to identify suitable services, ensuring placements meet required clinical standards, and advising on safe transition planning from the independent sector.
ICBs remain accountable for arranging and maintaining placements that provide the right multidisciplinary expertise. NHS England engages with local systems, including in Northampton, to ensure that any moves are clinically appropriate, safe, and consistent with national expectations for specialised neurological care.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on special severance payments in each of the last three years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Over the three years fewer than five payments have been issued and the total amount spent is under £40,000.
Given the minimal number of payments made in the timeframe, we have provided a consolidated rather than annual response to avoid employees becoming identifiable where multiple data sources could be amalgamated.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 trends in the number of year on year changes to hospital handover delays in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England and the Department regularly monitor ambulance handovers and provide support to the most challenged trusts. NHS England publishes data on ambulance delays monthly, and the published trust handover data is available at the following link: