Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to a) reduce and b) support victims of scam texts from people pretending to be the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has worked with the National Cyber Security Centre and telecommunications partners to implement technical measures to reduce fraudulent text messages purporting to be from National Health Service organisations. NHS England has also issued guidance to organisations that promotes clear and consistent use of SMS to help patients recognise genuine NHS communications. Patients who receive a suspicious message are encouraged to follow the National Cyber Security Centre's guidance on spotting and reporting scam texts.
Additionally, any scam texts should be reported to Report Fraud, the national reporting service for fraud and cybercrime in the United Kingdom. They can be contacted by phone on 0300 123 2040, or on their website at the following link:
https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/reporting-a-fraud/
More generally, the Government works closely with industry, regulators, law enforcement, and consumer groups to close the vulnerabilities that criminals exploit and stop scams reaching people. On 5 November 2025, the Government launched the second Telecoms Fraud Charter to go further in identifying, preventing, and disrupting telecoms fraud. We are also working closely with Ofcom to stop more cases of number ‘spoofing’, where scammers impersonate UK numbers and trick people into thinking they’re speaking to banks, telephone companies, or other legitimate organisations. Further details are available at the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fraud-sector-charter-telecommunications
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had recent discussions with the Ataxia campaign.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis in the Department’s transparency data.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a) continued use of the FDP and b) implementation of the proposed Single Patient Record on public trust in NHS data governance.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The security and privacy of people’s health and social care data is paramount, and the strongest safeguards will be built into the Single Patient Record (SPR), through legislation, mandatory information standards, and contractual requirements on all relevant providers.
The Department and NHS England undertook extensive public engagement on the use of data in 2024/25 which showed strong support for the SPR, and engagement with public and stakeholders will continue.
There are no formal metrics for measuring trust in digital services, but we will continue to engage with patients, the public and other stakeholders to set out the benefits of these programmes, and reinforce awareness of the data and privacy safeguards in place.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of trends in the levels of usage of the drug nerandomilast to treat pulmonary fibrosis.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently evaluating nerandomilast for treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and progressive pulmonary fibrosis and expects final guidance to be issued in January 2027.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of pharmacies needing to call GP practices to request a change in prescription due to unavailability of medications on a) staff workload and b) patient satisfaction.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 9 September to Question 23585.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what metrics her Department uses to assess public trust in NHS digital services regarding the NHS Federated Data Platform.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The security and privacy of people’s health and social care data is paramount, and the strongest safeguards will be built into the Single Patient Record (SPR), through legislation, mandatory information standards, and contractual requirements on all relevant providers.
The Department and NHS England undertook extensive public engagement on the use of data in 2024/25 which showed strong support for the SPR, and engagement with public and stakeholders will continue.
There are no formal metrics for measuring trust in digital services, but we will continue to engage with patients, the public and other stakeholders to set out the benefits of these programmes, and reinforce awareness of the data and privacy safeguards in place.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how privacy-by-design principles will be mandatory requirements in the development of the proposed Single Patient Record.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The security and privacy of people’s health and social care data is paramount, and the strongest safeguards will be built into the Single Patient Record (SPR), through legislation, mandatory information standards, and contractual requirements on all relevant providers.
The Department and NHS England undertook extensive public engagement on the use of data in 2024/25 which showed strong support for the SPR, and engagement with public and stakeholders will continue.
There are no formal metrics for measuring trust in digital services, but we will continue to engage with patients, the public and other stakeholders to set out the benefits of these programmes, and reinforce awareness of the data and privacy safeguards in place.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what metrics the Department uses to assess public trust in NHS digital services regarding the future Single Patient Record.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The security and privacy of people’s health and social care data is paramount, and the strongest safeguards will be built into the Single Patient Record (SPR), through legislation, mandatory information standards, and contractual requirements on all relevant providers.
The Department and NHS England undertook extensive public engagement on the use of data in 2024/25 which showed strong support for the SPR, and engagement with public and stakeholders will continue.
There are no formal metrics for measuring trust in digital services, but we will continue to engage with patients, the public and other stakeholders to set out the benefits of these programmes, and reinforce awareness of the data and privacy safeguards in place.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when her department plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. member for Newton Abbot sent on the 31st of July 2026 under case ref MW17484.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The correspondence has been transferred to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as it has policy responsibility for the issue. It will respond directly.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 potential impact of the current NHS pay structure on recruitment and retention of lower-paid (a) administrative, (b) clerical, (c) estates, (d) portering and (e) support staff.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 12 February, we accepted the NHS Pay Review Body’s recommendation on headline pay for Agenda for Change (AfC) staff in England, which resulted in a 3.3% consolidated pay uplift to all pay points. When making its recommendations to the Government on headline pay, the NHS Pay Review Body should give due consideration to recruitment and retention in line with its Terms of Reference.
The NHS Staff Council has been provided with a mandate to negotiate changes to the AfC’s pay structures in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, including in relation to Bands 2 to 4 and to pay for the lowest paid National Health Service staff. The NHS Staff Council is the national partnership body that brings together NHS employers and recognised trade unions to negotiate and agree the national terms and conditions for AfC staff.
These negotiations are ongoing, and any changes will be backdated to 1 April 2026. Funding arrangements will be confirmed in due course.