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, if he will consider reviewing the geographical areas within which resident doctors are expected to relocate during specialty training.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the importance of location stability for doctors in training and the impact that frequent relocations can have on wellbeing, retention, and workforce planning.
A review into postgraduate medical training is already underway. The first phase of the review has now concluded, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/the-medical-training-review-phase-1-diagnostic-report/
The next phase of the review will involve working with a wide range of stakeholders across the system to design a package of reform.
Alongside this review, a review of rotational training is currently in progress and is being led by the Department, along with NHS England and the British Medical Association.
NHS England’s 10 Point Plan to improve resident doctors’ working lives, published on 29 August, contains a commitment to reduce the impact of rotations upon resident doctors’ lives while maintaining service delivery. Further information can be found at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/10-point-plan-to-improve-resident-doctors-working-lives/
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 capacity of GP services in Gloucestershire to meet patient demand.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are expanding capacity in general practice, enabling more appointments for patients both nationally and in Gloucestershire.
Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board has achieved a 6.4% increase in appointments delivered in general practice since 2024, with 398,000 appointments provided in September 2025 compared to 374,000 in September 2024.
In October 2024, we invested £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of an additional 2,500 GPs into Primary Care Networks across England. This has helped to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. We have invested an additional £1.1 billion in general practice to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service which was the biggest increase in over a decade. Additionally, we have invested £102 million into the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund which will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 GP practices across England and will help deliver more appointments each year.
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 adequacy of the capacity of GP services to meet demand in Gloucestershire.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are expanding capacity in general practice, which will help to deliver more appointments to patients across the country, including in Gloucestershire.
In October 2024, we invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of an additional 2,000 general practitioners into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. We have invested an additional £1.1 billion in general practices to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service. This is the biggest increase in over a decade. Additionally, the new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 general practices across England to deliver 8.3 million more appointments each year.
In the 12 months to August 2025, 4.74 million appointments were delivered in the Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, which is a 3.2% increase from the previous year.
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 Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's planned timetable is for the (a) commencement and (b) publication of its health needs review.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The national review and the local needs assessment processes will help in setting out ideas on how services could be developed. The trust and the integrated care board (ICB) are keen that any proposals for future service development are co-designed through meaningful engagement.
The maternity health needs assessment at the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is under way, led by the NHS Gloucestershire ICB. The needs assessment involves a review of nationally available data and trends, and the evidence base for what works in terms of quality and safety. NHS England is aligning its maternity needs assessment with national priorities to improve outcomes and experiences, particularly by tackling health inequalities.
As part of the maternity needs assessment, NHS England is gathering insights from women and staff, asking about their experiences and their ideas for how services could be developed in the future.
NHS England is in the process of agreeing a timeline for approval of the needs assessment, with final publication expected in Spring 2026.
No plan to reopen the Aveta Birth Centre will be made until the outcome of the Government's Independent National Maternity Investigation, and the local Health Needs Assessment, led by the NHS Gloucestershire ICB and exploring the needs and changes in maternity care for Gloucestershire, are published. These are both due to report in Spring 2026.
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 plans to reopen the Aveta Birth Centre at Cheltenham General Hospital.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The national review and the local needs assessment processes will help in setting out ideas on how services could be developed. The trust and the integrated care board (ICB) are keen that any proposals for future service development are co-designed through meaningful engagement.
The maternity health needs assessment at the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is under way, led by the NHS Gloucestershire ICB. The needs assessment involves a review of nationally available data and trends, and the evidence base for what works in terms of quality and safety. NHS England is aligning its maternity needs assessment with national priorities to improve outcomes and experiences, particularly by tackling health inequalities.
As part of the maternity needs assessment, NHS England is gathering insights from women and staff, asking about their experiences and their ideas for how services could be developed in the future.
NHS England is in the process of agreeing a timeline for approval of the needs assessment, with final publication expected in Spring 2026.
No plan to reopen the Aveta Birth Centre will be made until the outcome of the Government's Independent National Maternity Investigation, and the local Health Needs Assessment, led by the NHS Gloucestershire ICB and exploring the needs and changes in maternity care for Gloucestershire, are published. These are both due to report in Spring 2026.
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 his Department has taken to ensure that the third-party data entry of NHS patient data is processed securely.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
IT systems in the National Health Service operate to the highest standards of security, and all organisations have governance arrangements in place to ensure the safe, legal management of data. Third party organisations operate under the instruction of the NHS when processing data, with safeguards in place to keep people’s confidential information secure as per contractual requirements. All organisations that have access to NHS patient data and systems must use the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) to provide assurance on an annual basis that they are practising good data security and that personal information is handled correctly. Over 61,500 organisations completed a DSPT assessment for 2024/25.
The privacy and confidentiality of health and care data is championed by the National Data Guardian who provides independent advice on the use of such data and holds the Caldicott Principles, which provide a framework for the safe and respectful use of data.
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 the severity modifier criteria on access to drugs for cancer patients.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been monitoring the impact of the severity modifier since it was implemented in 2022. Data up to March 2025 shows that the proportion of positive cancer recommendations is higher (85%) than with the end-of-life modifier it replaced (75%) and the proportion of positive recommendations for advanced cancer treatments is also higher (81% compared to 69%).
Since January 2022, NICE has recommended all but one of the treatments for breast cancer that it has assessed, including treatments for advanced breast cancer (such as Truqap and Korserdu), which are now available to eligible National Health Service patients.
The severity modifier is therefore working as intended and there are currently no plans to adjust or change it in the near future. However, NICE has commissioned research on people’s attitudes to how the severity modifier should be applied that will inform future reviews of NICE’s methods.
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 NICE's decision to restrict secondary breast cancer patient's access to Enhertu on the grounds of patient wellbeing.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes independent, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service in England on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded for eligible patients based on an evaluation of clinical and cost effectiveness.
NICE has recommended Enhertu, also known as trastuzumab deruxtecan, for use in the Cancer Drugs Fund for the treatment of women with HER2-positive secondary breast cancer and it is now available for the treatment of eligible patients while further data on its effectiveness is being collected that will inform a NICE decision on routine funding.
NICE published guidance in July 2024 on the use of Enhertu for the treatment of HER-2 low metastatic and unresectable breast cancer and was unfortunately unable to recommend it for routine NHS funding. I understand that NICE and NHS England have sought to apply as much flexibility as they can in their considerations of Enhertu for HER2-low breast cancer and have made it clear to the companies that their pricing of the drug remains the only obstacle to access.
Ministers met with the manufacturers of Enhertu, AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo in November 2024, to encourage them to re-engage in commercial discussions with NHS England. Despite NICE and NHS England offering unprecedented flexibilities, the companies were unable to offer Enhertu at a cost-effective price. NICE’s guidance published in July 2024 will therefore remain unchanged. NICE has reassured me that the door remains open for the companies to enter into a new NICE appraisal if they are willing to offer Enhertu at a cost-effective price.
Since January 2022, NICE has recommended all but one of the treatments for breast cancer that it has assessed. These treatments are now available to eligible National Health Service 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 steps he is taking to deliver a pay restoration framework for resident doctors.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Each year the Government allows the independent Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body (DDRB) to make recommendations on headline pay for doctors, including resident doctors.
In May 2025, the Government announced the 2025/26 pay awards for National Health Service staff in England, accepting the headline pay recommendations of the DDRB, for consultants, specialty and specialist doctors, and resident doctors for the 2025/26 period.
Resident doctors received one of the highest pay awards of the entire public sector this year, meaning an average 28.9% pay rise compared to three years ago.
The DDRB has been remitted and the process for 2026/27 pay is already under way.
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 his Department is taking to ensure the provision of specialist (a) wheelchairs, (b) beds and (c) armchairs for tall disabled people.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair services. National Health Service trusts work with the patient and wheelchair supplier to best meet the patient’s needs and requirements.
A typical hospital bed is 200 centimetres long and can be extended by 20 centimetres with pressure relieving infills available. With regards to armchairs, the NHS Supply Chain works with customers and suppliers if any bespoke products are needed in the market.
Equipment provision, where required for use in peoples’ own homes, is typically through a community equipment service; these are usually funded through a combination of the local authority and local NHS and provided via an outsourced provider or a locally-run service.