Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
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 whistleblowing protections for NHS staff who (a) experience and (b) witness sexual misconduct by colleagues.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Employment Rights Act 1996 aims to protect all workers, including National Health Service staff, against unfair dismissal and detriment on the basis that they have made a ‘protected disclosure’. Where detriment occurs, workers can seek remedy through an employment tribunal. In relation to sexual misconduct, the Employment Rights Act 2025 amends the Employment Rights Act 1996 to make clear that workers who ‘blow the whistle’ on sexual harassment can benefit from whistleblowing protections against detriment and unfair dismissal. This will provide welcome clarity for workers and employers. It may also encourage more workers to speak up about sexual harassment in the public interest by using whistleblowing routes. The measure will commence on 6 April 2026.
In addition to legal protections, there is a range of support in place for NHS workers who wish to report concerns. This includes a network of over 1,300 local Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, who provide an alternative route to support workers to speak up about something in their organisation, a National Freedom to Speak Up policy, providing minimum standards for local NHS speaking up policies, and support from independent organisations such as Speak Up Direct, which provides NHS and social care workers with impartial advice and support.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of barriers to reporting sexual misconduct by doctors, including for patients and NHS staff.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We acknowledge that the confidence to report sexual misconduct in the National Health Service remains a systemic challenge that is influenced by a range of factors.
For example, NHS staff often do not wish to subject themselves to a formal employment process or are concerned about reprisals from other members of staff or believe they may not be taken seriously by their manager and organisation.
All trusts and integrated care boards (ICBs) have signed up to the NHS Sexual Safety Charter, which is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/sexual-safety-in-healthcare-organisational-charter/
The principles underpinning the charter contribute to improving workplace sexual safety culture, which should empower more staff to speak up.
In 2024, NHS England produced a national policy framework for sexual misconduct. The framework recommends routes through which reports can be made including Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, line managers, human resources, or via an anonymous reporting form. Every trust and ICB now has a policy in place or is in the process of adopting one, and 76% have implemented anonymous reporting for staff.
The Patient Advice and Liaison service and complaints system provide routes for patients and the public to report incidents of sexual misconduct.
In December 2025, NHS England wrote to NHS trusts and ICBs setting out further actions to take to ensure the sexual safety of both patients and staff. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/an-update-on-actions-to-prevent-sexual-misconduct-in-the-nhs/
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of a) the COVID-19 Pandemic and b) social media on the mental wellbeing of children; and what steps his Department is taking to help mitigate these impacts.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government welcomes the COVID-19 Inquiry’s investigations and is committed to learning lessons from the pandemic, including those relating to the potential impact on children’s mental health and wellbeing. We continue to respond openly and transparently to the inquiry’s requests and reports, and will be paying close attention to the Module 8 report, Children and Young People, and the Module 10 report, Impact on Society, which will cover mental health and wellbeing. Whilst we wait for these reports, the Department is already embedding mental health considerations into pandemic preparedness planning.
In 2019, the UK Chief Medical Officers published a commentary on the findings of a systematic review on screen-based activities and children’s mental health. They found an association between screen-based activities and mental health but could not establish causality. The commentary can be accessed at the following link:
On 2 March 2026, the Government published a consultation on how to ensure children have a healthy relationship with devices, introduce rapid trials on measures to reduce screentime and limit access at night, and produce evidence-informed screentime guidance for parents of children aged five to 16 years old. The consultation can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/growing-up-in-the-online-world-a-national-consultation
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has held discussions with the (a) General Medical Council and (b) Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service on the erasure and suspension rates in cases involving allegations of sexual assault and rape.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The General Medical Council (GMC) is independent of the Government, is directly accountable to Parliament, and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) is a statutory committee of the GMC. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.
At the recent Health and Social Care Committee in January, questions were raised about the GMC’s fitness to practise procedures, particularly in relation to sexual misconduct cases. The GMC stated that sexual misconduct is unacceptable and that it had done a lot of work recently to tighten its guidance and expectations of registrants, setting out a new duty for them and adding a new duty for those who witness such behaviour. The GMC produces annual reports on its Fitness to Practise statistics. The GMC noted that the next report was due in July and committed to thinking about what it can publish in future with the aim to be as transparent as it can.
The Department takes cases concerning sexual assault and rape by healthcare professionals very seriously.
In line with the Ministerial Code, details of all ministerial meetings, including those with the GMC, are published quarterly on GOV.UK at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to require the (a) General Medical Council and (b) Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service to publish annual data on sexual misconduct allegations and outcomes.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The General Medical Council (GMC) is independent of the Government, is directly accountable to Parliament, and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) is a statutory committee of the GMC. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.
At the recent Health and Social Care Committee in January, questions were raised about the GMC’s fitness to practise procedures, particularly in relation to sexual misconduct cases. The GMC stated that sexual misconduct is unacceptable and that it had done a lot of work recently to tighten its guidance and expectations of registrants, setting out a new duty for them and adding a new duty for those who witness such behaviour. The GMC produces annual reports on its Fitness to Practise statistics. The GMC noted that the next report was due in July and committed to thinking about what it can publish in future with the aim to be as transparent as it can.
The Department takes cases concerning sexual assault and rape by healthcare professionals very seriously.
In line with the Ministerial Code, details of all ministerial meetings, including those with the GMC, are published quarterly on GOV.UK at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
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 help (a) improve patient safety in the NHS and (b) reduce clinical negligence claims.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last ten years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.
As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. That work is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee reports.
Over recent years, the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care have taken significant steps forward to address the rising costs of clinical negligence and to improve patient safety, including by implementing significant programmes under the NHS Patient Safety Strategy, published 2019. The strategy is now achieving its aim of saving an extra 1,000 lives per year and £100 million in care costs per year.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to conduct a review of the threshold for erasure in cases where doctors are accused of rape or sexual assault.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to modernising the regulatory frameworks for all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.
As a first step, we aim to consult on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s (GMC) regulatory framework shortly and to lay this legislation before Parliament this year.
As part of the consultation, we will be consulting on the criminal offences, which if convicted of, will lead to the automatic removal of a registrant from the GMC’s register.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to establish a national framework for collecting and sharing data on the causes of clinical negligence.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Resolution manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England.
NHS Resolution recognises the importance of sharing its data to provide a full picture of potential harm. NHS Resolution’s Safety and Learning Team works with its members to interpret and triangulate claims data with other insights to inform local patient safety plans. It also publishes reports to highlight causes of harm to improve safety including from maternity claims.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the long‑term outcomes of children who receive CAMHS mental health support; and how many of these recipients subsequently use adult mental health services.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the importance of understanding both the outcomes of children and young people who receive support from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, and their transition into adult services where ongoing care is required.
NHS England publishes outcomes data for children and young people receiving National Health Service funded mental health support, based on routine outcome measures collected at the start and end of treatment.
However, coverage of paired outcome measures remains incomplete, and the published statistics are not fully representative of all those in receipt of care. We are working with NHS England to improve the completeness and quality of outcomes data to strengthen our understanding of the impact of services.
We remain committed to improving transitions between children and adult mental health services so that young people continue to receive appropriate support as they move into adulthood.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of levels of capacity and reliability on the Calder Valley line; and what plans she has to address performance issues.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Government is part way through a long term investment plan for the Calder Valley line that provides more capacity, improved reliability and better connections to opportunities in Manchester, Bradford and Leeds. From May 27, the government expect to see longer trains and performance improvements resulting from the simplification of operations around Manchester Victoria. Northern will start to introduce new trains from the early 2030s.
As announced in January phase three of the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme will deliver improved connections between Manchester and Bradford. To support upcoming decisions on a new Bradford station, we will assess initial options for Bradford–Manchester connectivity as part of the station business case. This assessment will include consideration of the Calder Valley line.