Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish the report on the adult social care relative needs formula on the Adult Social Care Policy Research Unit Website.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The report on the adult social care relative needs formula was published on the Adult Social Care Policy Research Unit’s website in June 2025.
The Department funds independent research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The publication of research is led by the research team. The views expressed in the outputs of the research are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many medical school places he expects there to be in each year up to 2031.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The total maximum fundable limit for medical school places in England set by the Office for Students is 8,230 places for the 2025/26 academic year. The limit is confirmed on an annual basis.
We will publish a new 10 Year Workforce Plan later this year to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children were prescribed antidepressants in each year since 2007.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) holds data going back to April 2015, but not prior to this date. The following table shows the total number of patients aged 17 years old and under that were prescribed antidepressants for the financial years 2015/16 to 2023/24:
Financial year | Total identified patients aged 17 years old and under |
2015/16 | 65,594 |
2016/17 | 65,428 |
2017/18 | 65,555 |
2018/19 | 67,631 |
2019/20 | 68,794 |
2020/21 | 65,266 |
2021/22 | 71,251 |
2022/23 | 71,263 |
2023/24 | 66,483 |
Source: NHSBSA Statistical Collections, available at the following link:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/medicines-used-mental-health-england
These cover antidepressants prescribed in England that are then dispensed in the community in England, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the median time taken to register a death was in each (a) integrated care board and (b) local authority area in the most recent six months for which data is available.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is monitoring the impact of the death certification reforms, which came into legal effect on 9 September 2024, through the Death Certification Strategic Board and a cross-Government data strategy group. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes a weekly deaths release which includes the provisional number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the latest weeks, and which is available at the following link:
As part of this release, the ONS publishes data on the median time taken to register a death in England and Wales in each region. This data is also split by certification type and place of occurrence. The latest data available covers deaths registered in the week ending 18 April 2025. The ONS does not publish any data on the median time taken in integrated care boards or local authorities.
The introduction of medical examiners is in part about making sure deaths are properly described and improving practice, but the impact on the bereaved is also central. The reforms aim to put the bereaved at the centre of the process, and the medical examiner’s office must offer a conversation with representatives of the deceased, so they can ask any questions they have about the death or to raise concerns. Ensuring the system is appropriately resourced and works for all those who interact with it is crucial, and something we will continue to monitor with NHS England.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2024 to Question 15468 and 6 March 2024 to Question 15467, how many staff in (a) his Department and (b) NHS England have job titles that include the words (i) equality, (ii) diversity, (iii) inclusion, (iv) gender, (v) LGBT and (vi) race.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department currently has four roles with job titles that include the words equality, diversity, inclusion, gender, LGBT and race. These roles sit within policy areas linked to supporting the Department’s work externally, and are not internally or HR focussed.
As per 22nd of April 2025, there are 47 direct employees in NHS England whose job title include either of the following words: equality, diversity, inclusion, gender, LGBT, or race.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 December 2024 to Question 19000 on Social Services, when the report on the adult social care relative needs formula will be made available on the Adult Social Care Policy Research Unit Website.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care is still considering this research as part of its ongoing policy work. We are working closely the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the role of a specific adult social care funding formula was considered within the consultation Local authority funding reform: objectives and principles, published on 18 December 2024 and closed on 12 February 2025. We will update further in due course.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) general practices and (b) GP premises there were in each integrated care board area in each month since June 2024.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A table showing the number of general practices and premises in each current integrated care board (ICB) area in England, each month since June 2024, is attached.
Opening and closing dates for both practices and branches were identified using data from the NHS Organisation Data Service. Locations have been mapped to current ICB boundaries. The locations sheet in the attached document includes both main and branch practices.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
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 people starting an (a) F1 and (b) F2 placement were international medical graduates in each deanery in each year since 2015.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The attached table contains information published by the General Medical Council (GMC) on the place of qualification of all foundation programme doctors by their region. The tables cover the period since 2012 and illustrate the increase in international recruitment following decisions taken by the last government in 2020.
This information is available at the following link as part of the GMC’s Data Explorer tool:
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether patients who have changed gender from female to male are still automatically invited to cervical screening.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Cervical Screening Programme provides all women and people with a cervix between the ages of 25 and 64 years old with the opportunity to be screened routinely to detect certain types of human papillomavirus infection, which is the cause of 99.7% of cervical cancer.
Trans men who are still registered as female with their general practice (GP) will be routinely invited to cervical screenings. Trans men registered as male do not automatically receive invitations, but are still entitled to screenings if they still have a cervix.
Trans men who want to have cervical screenings should ask their GP to contact the NHS Cervical Screening Programme so that they are opted-in on the Cervical Screening Management System and invited for screenings correctly.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many gender (a) reassignment and (b) affirmation operations were carried out by the NHS in each year since 2000 for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold this data centrally, as it is held at an individual National Health Service provider level.