Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 ensure that patient experience data and intelligence is independently aggregated and analysed following the abolition of local Healthwatch.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the abolition of local Healthwatch, our proposals are that integrated care boards (ICBs) and local authorities (LAs) will have the responsibility for gathering views, and feedback from local people about health and social care services respectively in their area.
ICBs and LAs will be required to take these views into account when looking at their commissioning strategies to ensure these meet the needs of local people. They will also be required to demonstrate that they have done so.
However, these proposals require primary legislation. The timing of this is subject to the will of Parliament and will happen when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that human, qualitative patient insight is not displaced by digital, survey-based and institution-led feedback once local Healthwatch is abolished.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the Dash Review of the patient safety landscape published in July 2025, and in the 10-Year Health Plan, the statutory functions of local Healthwatch bodies will be transferred to integrated care boards (ICBs) for health, and to local authorities (LAs) for social care.
Both ICBs and LAs will be required to demonstrate how they have gathered patient and user feedback from local people including those who do not have access to digital platforms, those who are less proficient with technology, and people for whom English is a second language.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken towards bringing the provisions in the Freehold Reform Act 2024 into force.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103549 on 14 January 2026 and to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 27 January 2026 (HCWS1278).
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a) waiving and b) subsidising the cost of the first six to eight (i) preliminary and (ii) core examinations for junior doctors.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made a specific assessment of the potential merits of waiving or subsidising the cost of the first six to eight preliminary and/or core examinations for resident, previously “junior”, doctors.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, made two offers to the British Medical Association (BMA) Resident Doctors Committee in 2025 to try to resolve its ongoing industrial disputes. These including provisions to reimburse fees for mandatory royal college examinations to resident doctors in England. However, the BMA rejected these offers.
The Government remains determined to put an end to the damaging cycles of disruption caused by strike action and is holding talks with the BMA to resolve the disputes.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill on British citizens who have already commenced undergraduate medical degrees overseas on the understanding that they would be able to return to the UK to complete their Foundation Programme; and what plans he has to implement transitional protections and assurances to safeguard their training prospects and future careers in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Subject to the parliamentary passage of the bill, British citizens who have graduated from medical schools outside of the United Kingdom will not be prioritised for foundation training places if they spent the majority of their time studying outside the British Islands.
The Government does not plan to implement transitional protections or assurances in relation to these applicants. Prioritisation does not mean exclusion. Non-prioritised graduates will still be able to apply for foundation training places, and they will be offered places if vacancies remain after prioritised applicants have received offers.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration his Department has given to introducing transitional arrangements for the implementation of UK graduate prioritisation in medical specialty recruitment for the 2025–26 recruitment cycle; and whether he will review the decision to assess applicants’ immigration or settlement status at the point of application rather than at the point of job offer, in cases where applicants will have Indefinite Leave to Remain by the time offers are made.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government does not plan to introduce transitional arrangements for the implementation of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill.
For 2026 specialty training posts we have used immigration status as a reasonable proxy for National Health Service experience. Subject to parliamentary passage, the bill prioritises applicants at offer stage based on their immigration status at that point. Applicants will be able to update their application status where it has changed since they made their application. For specialty training posts starting from 2027 onwards, the immigration status category will not apply automatically. Instead, we will be able to make regulations to specify any additional groups who will be prioritised by reference to criteria indicating significant experience as a doctor in the health service, or by reference to immigration status. We will set out next steps on these regulations in due course.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 availability of NHS provision on the number of patients with Cranio-Cervical Instability who are seeking (a) diagnosis and (b) surgical treatment overseas.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 improve a) (a) the diagnosis of, (b) clinician training on and (c) access to treatment for patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes and associated Cranio-Cervical Instability.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of including inflammatory bowel disease on the list of medical conditions which are entitled to a medical exemption certificate.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently no plans to add inflammatory bowel disease to the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate which exempts the holder from paying the National Health Service prescription charge.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure UK-registered charities can continue operating in Palestine under Palestinian Authority registration.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Regarding the registration of non-governmental organisations to operate in Gaza, I refer the Hon Member to the statement I made to the House on 5 January, and to the joint statement made by the Foreign Secretary and a number of her counterparts on 30 December, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/jointstatementon-the-gaza-humanitarian-response.