Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
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 ensure that ambulance services are able to communicate effectively with Deaf people who use British Sign Language (BSL).
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and the British Sign Language Act 2022, ambulance services have a range of options to support Deaf/deaf individuals who use British Sign Language (BSL) in accessing ambulance services.
To facilitate clear and effective communication in emergency situations, individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired can utilise tools such as the 999BSL video relay platform, which is app and web-based, to contact 999 via a BSL interpreter as well as access via emergency SMS messaging. Video relay apps can also be used to support communication and face-to-face assessment by crews on scene at incidents, where, via on-board iPads, paramedics can connect patients with a remote BSL video interpreter.
These resources, which are free to use and operate 24 hours, seven days a week, ensure that real-time communication is possible for BSL users when emergency and urgent assistance is required.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Respiratory registrars and Consultants are currently working in the NHS, and what steps his Department is taking to increase their number.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes monthly information on the composition of the workforce employed by National Health Service trusts and integrated care boards in England. This includes information on doctors grouped by their grade and the specialty area they are working in. The information is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics
The relevant data can be found in worksheet 4 of the file NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Trusts and core organisations – data tables, in the link above.
We set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts, with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.
The Government is committed to training the staff we need, including doctors, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to address the increase in missed deliveries against targets by the Royal Mail.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ofcom, the independent regulator for postal services, monitors and assesses Royal Mail’s provision of the universal service. It can investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.
I met Royal Mail’s CEO, Alistair Cochrane, on 3 February to press him on the action Royal Mail is taking to make demonstrable improvements to service levels as a matter of urgency. I will continue to raise concerns with Royal Mail if the company’s quality of service does not improve.
Royal Mail has publicly committed to publishing a detailed deployment and quality of service improvement plan as soon as possible following the conclusion of its discussions with the Communication Workers Union.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
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 support GPs who are the subject of a complaint arising from a specialist denying a person a face-to-face appointment.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As independent businesses who hold contracts with the National Health Service, general practices (GPs) are responsible for managing patient complaints relating to services delivered by their GP and the wider health system. In cases where specialist advice has been used, such as Advice and Guidance, and the outcome of the advice was that care management in GPs is clinically appropriate, the GP may still subsequently refer their patient again at any point if they have concerns. NHS England has published guidance for both primary care referrers and specialists to support effective use of Advice and Guidance.
For patients who have been under a specialist’s care, clinical governance procedures for the relevant provider will apply.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of GP practices are partner-run in (a) Broxtowe constituency, (b) the East Midlands and (c) England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has advised that, within the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire clustered Integrated Care Board (ICB) boundary, 65 out of 81 practices, or 81%, in Lincoln are general practice (GP) partnership model practices. 115 out of 126 of practices, or 91%, in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are GP partnership model practices.
Within the NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB boundary, 115 out of 126 practices, or 90%, are GP partnership model practices. Within the Northamptonshire ICB boundary, 64 out of 65 practices, or 98%, are GP partnership model practices.
Within the NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB boundary, 99 out of 109 practices, or 89%, are traditional GP partnerships. The other 10, or 11%, are partner-run, but not in the traditional way. Of these:
- four are managed by Royal Primary Care, Chesterfield;
- four are managed by Derbyshire Community Health Services; and
- two are managed by Derbyshire Healthcare United.
In the Broxtowe constituency, 11 out of 11 practices are GP partnership model practices. The Department does not hold national-level data, however, we expect that a large majority of practices in England operate as traditional GP partnerships.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of GPs who are (a) unemployed and looking for work and (b) under-employed and looking for additional work in (i) Broxtowe constituency, (ii) the East Midlands and (iii) England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The data requested is not held centrally. Thanks to actions taken by the Government, we have the highest number of fully qualified general practitioners (GPs) since 2015, and steps are being taken to grow the GP workforce further.
We are investing £485 million in GPs in 2026/27, bringing the total spend on the GP Contract to over £13.8 billion. This builds on the £1.1 billion boost in investment in 2025/26. As part of the 2026/27 GP Contract, we are increasing flexibility of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) by removing the restriction that ARRS funding can only be used for recently qualified GPs, increasing the maximum reimbursement amount for GP roles to reflect experience, and enabling primary care networks to recruit a broader range of ARRS roles, where agreed with the commissioner.
Patient satisfaction is already rising after a decade of decline; in July 2024, only 61% of patients found it easy to access their GP. Currently, it is almost 77%.
Following feedback from the 2026/27 GP Contract consultation, we are introducing a practice-level GP reimbursement scheme which ring-fences and repurposes £292 million of funding from the current Capacity and Access Payment. This funding will be available to practices to hire additional GPs or fund additional sessions with existing GPs to improve access in GPs. This aims to strengthen capacity, access, and improve patient satisfaction, whilst also addressing GP unemployment and underemployment.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
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 support the availability of Peer Supported Open Dialogue in the NHS.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is no national policy specifically focused on implementing Peer Supported Open Dialogue.
The National Health Service follows evidence when implementing any approach at scale and will respond to any future changes in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. A research trial evaluating the impact of open dialogue in the NHS is due to report soon, at the following link:
Nationally, we are committed to working with local NHS mental health providers to develop a new approach for mental health in 2026, including through the upcoming modern service framework for severe mental illness.
The Department is also supporting the development of the evidence base on mental health care through research and evaluation, including studies funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, to inform future decisions on effective models of care.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the number of hospitals and departments that doctors rotate through as part of Internal Medical Training.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the importance of continuity in postgraduate medical training for both doctors and patients.
Following the 2024 Resident Doctors Agreement, the Department, working in partnership with NHS England and the British Medical Association, established a review of rotational training. This review drew on some 13,000 responses to surveys and found that rotations can provide valuable breadth of experience, but that in some cases frequent moves can disrupt learning, wellbeing, team integration, and patient care
NHS England has developed pilots within the Rotations Review programme, and these are being recruited to with start dates in August of this year. As set out in the 10-Point Plan to Improve Resident Doctors’ Working Lives, these test longer placements, smaller geographic footprints, and more flexible arrangements for less-than-full-time trainees. The future work will become part of the Medical Education and Training Review. One of these pilots has focussed on Internal Medicine Training programmes being based at a single provider for the entire three years.
The evaluation of these pilots will inform future policy decisions on placement length and continuity benefits.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking international partners to encourage de-escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan; and what recent discussions she has had with her (a) Pakistani and (b) Afghan counterpart on the October 2025 ceasefire.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is deeply concerned by rising tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban. An escalation in hostilities is in no one's interest. At the United Nations in February, the Foreign Secretary discussed the situation with her Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar and, on 10 March, I expressed my concern about ongoing hostilities in a meeting with Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. More broadly, in January, the UK Special Envoy to Afghanistan visited Islamabad and encouraged de-escalation in talks with both Pakistani and Taliban interlocutors. Alongside that, UK officials regularly engage Taliban Ministers and officials to encourage them to engage in dialogue, as well as relevant third parties, including Qatar, Türkiye, and Saudi Arabia who can help to support these goals.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the humanitarian impact of recent Israeli strikes in the Bekaa Valley and what steps is the Government taking to de-escalate tensions in the region.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are concerned about the military escalation in Lebanon, especially the impact on civilians, and we are coordinating closely with the Government of Lebanon and humanitarian partners to provide support. On 3 March, I discussed the situation with Lebanese Foreign Minister Rajji, and we will continue to press for de-escalation in our other talks with international partners.