Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which department is responsible for making decisions and research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) as part of the Final Delivery Plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care is responsible for the overall delivery of the final delivery plan on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
To address the breadth of the ME/CFS research challenge, the NIHR and the Medical Research Council (MRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, play complementary roles in the United Kingdom landscape by funding research across the research system, with MRC funding aetiological and early-stage translational science and NIHR funding later stage translational and applied clinical work.
The NIHR and MRC are working together to deliver the research actions outlined in the ME/CFS final delivery plan that we published in July.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered guarantees on specialist care provision for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and very severe ME.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The commissioning of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards, based on the needs of their local population.
The final delivery plan on ME/CFS, which we published in July, includes an action for the Department and NHS England to explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for very severe ME/CFS. Officials from the Department have commenced discussions with NHS England on how best to take forward this action.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how will GPs be supported with increases in workload demand for ADHD, gender medicine and weight-management prescribing.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are investing an additional £1.1 billion in general practice (GP) to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26, which is the biggest cash increase in over a decade. The 8.9% boost to the GP Contract in 2025/26 is greater than the 5.8% growth to the NHS budget as a whole.
Since October 2024, we have funded primary care networks with an additional £160 million to recruit recently qualified GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. Over 2,600 individual GPs have now been recruited, preventing them from graduating into unemployment. We have committed to training thousands more GPs across the country which will increase capacity and take the pressure off those currently working in the system.
The Government is committed to ensuring the GP workforce is sustainable, supported, and valued for the work they do. Good staff experience is crucial in ensuring the NHS is able to recruit and retain staff and its importance is recognised and illustrated in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan. Later this year we will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will ensure that staff will be better treated, have better training, more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future, so they can achieve more.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence produces evidence-based guidance for health and care practitioners on best practice for a variety of conditions including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. NHS England has also published service specifications that describe how clinical and medical care is offered to people with gender dysphoria.
GPs have access to a range of support from their integrated care boards and NHS England has developed a suite of implementation materials, delivery guidance and protocols, and has provided access to training resources to help GPs with weight management prescribing.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has his department made of the potential impact of funding levels for primary care on levels of demand for secondary and urgent care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are investing an additional £1.1 billion in general practice (GP) to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26, which is the biggest cash increase in over a decade. The 8.9% boost to the GP Contract in 2025/26 is greater than the 5.8% growth to the NHS budget as a whole. Over 10 million more GP appointments have been delivered in the 12-months to September 2025 compared to the same period last year, building capacity and improving access so that patients can be seen when they need to be in primary care.
As part of GP Contract funding, since 1 October, GPs must allow patients to contact them via an online form at any time during core hours to request an appointment or to raise a query, in addition to telephone and in-person requests. By expanding ease of contact via online access, we will reduce pressure on accident and emergency, as we know that many patients seek medical care in accident and emergency if they fail to make contact with their GP.
We are also funding the expansion of Advice and Guidance to improve two-way communication between GPs and hospital specialists and to ensure care is delivered in the right setting. We expect this to increase the usage of Advice and Guidance and to help patients receive the care they need in primary and community settings where appropriate, reducing referrals to secondary care.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has his Department made of the potential impact of ICB mergers on continuity and access in rural and semi-rural areas.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Across larger integrated care board (ICB) footprints there will be a renewed focus on the local level as part of our commitment to delivering care closer to home, and this includes rural and semi rural areas. As outlined in our 10-Year Health Plan, neighbourhood health plans will be created and will be brought together as part of the ICBs’ plans to improve population health locally.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are his department taking to ensure the that upcoming GP Connect requirements support confidentiality and data integrity.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
GP Connect helps clinicians to gain access to general practice (GP) patient records during interactions away from a patient’s registered practice and makes their medical information available to appropriate health and social care professionals when and where they need it, to support the patient’s direct care. From a privacy, confidentiality, and data protection perspective, GP Connect provides a method of secure information transfer and reduces the need to use less secure or less efficient methods of transferring information, such as email or telephone.
Access to GP Connect is governed by role-based access and organisational controls, and only people who need to see the GP patient record for a patient’s direct care should be able to see it. Data integrity is ensured by the GP Connect Application Programming Interface sharing an accurate, consistent, and real time complete copy of specific data held in the source GP record. All systems that allow the use of GP Connect must undergo a robust compliance process.
All organisations applying to use GP Connect must comply with the National Data Sharing Arrangement (NDSA) and end-user agreement that sets out their responsibilities and confidentiality obligations. Further information is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/services/gp-connect/national-data-sharing-arrangement-for-gp-connect
The NDSA and its terms and conditions stipulate that any information received or accessed about a patient for direct care purposes must remain confidential.
NHS England has published a Privacy Notice and a Data Protection Impact Assessment for GP Connect, which can be found, respectively, at the following two links:
https://digital.nhs.uk/services/gp-connect/gp-connect-in-your-organisation/gp-connect-privacy-notice
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what mechanisms will ensure accountability for primary care outcomes within merged ICBs, particularly where decision-making is centralised elsewhere.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Oversight Framework will continue to provide the approach to assessing integrated care boards, including in relation to primary care.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
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 help ensure that smaller systems, such as Gloucestershire, do not lose visibility or influence within larger merged ICBs which include urban centres.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Across larger integrated care board (ICB) footprints there will be a renewed focus on the local level as part of our commitment to deliver care closer to home. As outlined in our 10-Year Health Plan, neighbourhood health plans will be created, including for Gloucestershire, and will be brought together as part of the ICBs’ plans to improve population health locally.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review the adequacy of the GP Contract at reflecting (a) increases in demand, (b) inflation and (c) additional responsibilities.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
General practices (GPs) are valued independent contractors who provide over £13 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with the profession about what services GPs provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract, taking into account demand and the cost of delivering services.
We have started the 2026/27 GP Contract consultation, and we look forward to listening to a range of stakeholders to help strengthen policy making, ensuring that GPs work for staff and patients.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
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 offering free flu vaccines to (a) charity and (b) voluntary workers on the health of vulnerable people.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Eligibility for a free National Health Service flu vaccine is guided, each year, by advice and recommendations from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and is kept under regular review. The aim of the flu vaccination programme is to protect those most at risk from serious illness and hospitalisation.
Those eligible to receive a free flu vaccine on the NHS this autumn are:
The NHS website contains further information on eligibility, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/flu-vaccine/
Anyone who feels unsure about their eligibility (including those who work with vulnerable people in a voluntary capacity) can consult their general practitioner, practice nurse, or pharmacist. Pregnant women can also consult their midwife.