Neil Shastri-Hurst

No set date has been agreed for publication, as the wider work of the 10-Year Health Plan and the forthcoming Spending Review will influence the timing of the revised Long Term Workforce Plan later this year.

As well as engaging with patient groups, we have worked hard to engage the patients they represent directly. To engage with patients and the public, we launched Change NHS, the biggest ever conversation about the National Health Service since its creation, with over 190,000 contributions, and 1.6 million visits to our online portal so far. This is aiming to be broadly representative of England's population.

Additional community engagement has focussed on engagement with seldom heard groups. We’ve worked closely with charities, faith groups, health and care providers, local government, and others, to ensure we hear from demographics and communities that may experience barriers to being involved, and to whom the Government often fails to reach.

Further to this, we have also engaged and heard from over 1,600 stakeholder partners, over a quarter of whom advocate for different patient groups.

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to determine the structure and requirements of the team required to support the creation of a new centre for health and care.

Most members of working groups, including the chairs, were not compensated for their participation in the groups, and took on group membership as part of, or alongside, their usual role. In a small number of cases, where members of the groups brought their lived experience as a patient or carer to the group, they were compensated for their time in line with usual NHS England practice. Many of the working group meetings took place virtually. Some in-person working group meetings incurred minimal catering costs. Travel and accommodation costs were reimbursed in a small number of cases by exception, and with the prior agreement of the Department or NHS England.

Following an invitation to tender a competition process, we appointed Thinks Insight, Kaleidoscope Health and Care, and the Institute For Public Policy Research to support us to run this engagement exercise. The awarded value of the contract is up to £2,961,595.50, with an option to vary to £3,500,000 in the event that the scope of the contract evolves. This includes running the regional deliberative events with members of the public and health and care staff, further online and in-person engagement activities, the Change NHS online portal, and analysis of the insight received.

We recognise there may be some short-term upfront costs as we undertake the integration of NHS England and the Department, but these costs and more will be recouped in future years as a result of a smaller, leaner centre. By the end of the process, we estimate that these changes will save hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services.

The urgent and emergency care improvement plan will set expectations for the National Health Service in England to deliver improvements in urgent and emergency care services and set the foundations for future areas of reform, in line with the 2025/26 NHS Operational Planning Guidance. It is anticipated that the plan will be published as part of the current NHS planning round.

The National Cancer Plan will be published in the second half of 2025, after the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan. To help inform the content of the National Cancer Plan, on 4 February 2025, the Department launched a Call for Evidence, inviting people from across the country to share their views on what they think should be included within the plan. The Call for Evidence will close on 29 April 2025.

We will provide updates on the development of the plan, including on publication dates, in due course. Those who wish to share their views can do so on the new online platform. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan

Officials have been working to develop the Down Syndrome Act 2022 statutory guidance, including engaging with sector partners and the relevant departments.

We expect to issue the draft guidance of the public consultation by the summer of 2025. The guidance will be published at the earliest opportunity following the consultation.

The Department understands the impact that Duchenne muscular dystrophy has on those living with it and their families, and the urgent need for new treatment options. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently published guidance that recommends the medicine vamorolone for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy in people 4 years old and over. The National Health Service is required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.

The Department has not had any discussions with ITF Pharma UK about resources or guidance available to NHS trusts participating in the early access programme for givinostat. Departmental officials have had discussions with colleagues in NHS England about the guidance and resources that are available to NHS trusts. NHS England has published guidance for integrated care systems (ICS) on free of charge medicines schemes such as early access programmes, including providing advice on potential financial, administrative, and clinical risks. The guidance aims to support the NHS to drive value from medicines and ensure consistent and equitable access to medicines across England. ICSs should follow the recommendations to determine whether to implement any free of charge scheme, including assessing suitability and any risks in the short, medium, and long term. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/free-of-charge-foc-medicines-schemes-national-policy-recommendations-for-local-systems/

The Department understands the impact that Duchenne muscular dystrophy has on those living with it and their families, and the urgent need for new treatment options. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently published guidance that recommends the medicine vamorolone for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy in people 4 years old and over. The National Health Service is required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.

The Department has not had any discussions with ITF Pharma UK about resources or guidance available to NHS trusts participating in the early access programme for givinostat. Departmental officials have had discussions with colleagues in NHS England about the guidance and resources that are available to NHS trusts. NHS England has published guidance for integrated care systems (ICS) on free of charge medicines schemes such as early access programmes, including providing advice on potential financial, administrative, and clinical risks. The guidance aims to support the NHS to drive value from medicines and ensure consistent and equitable access to medicines across England. ICSs should follow the recommendations to determine whether to implement any free of charge scheme, including assessing suitability and any risks in the short, medium, and long term. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/free-of-charge-foc-medicines-schemes-national-policy-recommendations-for-local-systems/

Currently, the Government is considering the way forward on a wide range of matters, including clinical negligence costs reform, and we will announce our position in due course.

Between July 2024 and November 2024, the latest available data, there were 1,635,136 more value-weighted activity appointments compared to the period July 2023 to November 2023.

This includes elective ordinary and day case admissions, outpatient first appointments, and outpatient follow-up appointments with a procedure. It does not include other outpatient follow-ups, or diagnostic tests, except for endoscopy tests which are included within elective admissions or outpatient procedures as appropriate.

Including diagnostic tests, between July 2024 and November 2024, the latest available data, there were 2,199,579 more appointments compared to the period July 2023 to November 2023.

Meetings with external organisations are routinely disclosed in the Department’s transparency publications. Two returns have been published since 5 July 2024, one in September, and one in December. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings#2024

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission, and we will deliver an additional two million operations, scans, and appointments during our first year in Government, which is equivalent to 40,000 per week, as a first step in our commitment to ensuring that patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks.

The Department regularly monitors the number of appointments the National Health Service is delivering using internal management information. Official measurement of the additional appointments will be published at the earliest opportunity.

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission, and we will deliver an additional 2 million operations, scans, and appointments during our first year in Government, which is equivalent to 40,000 per week, as a first step in our commitment to ensuring that patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks.

Appointments will be defined as those in scope of the Value Weighted Activity metric, which is used to measure elective activity as set out in NHS Operational Planning guidance, together with the key diagnostic times from diagnostic waiting times statistics. Value Weighted Activity includes elective ordinary admissions and day cases, outpatient first appointments, and outpatient follow-up appointments with a procedure. This excludes outpatient appointments without procedure, to ensure that the appointments we are counting are high value for patients. Elective admissions for endoscopies are also excluded to avoid the double counting of diagnostics.

Further information about the delivery of the additional appointments will be published at the earliest opportunity.

We have made the necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the Autumn Budget. The employers’ National Insurance rise will be implemented in April 2025. We will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year in due course.

Primary care providers, including general practitioners (GPs), are valued independent contractors that provide nearly £20 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with each contracted sector about the services it provides, and the money providers are entitled to in return. As in previous years, this issue will be dealt with as part of that process. We will shortly begin discussions on the annual GP Contract.

We have made the necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the Autumn Budget. The employers’ National Insurance rise will be implemented in April 2025. We will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year in due course.

Primary care providers, including general practitioners (GPs), are valued independent contractors that provide nearly £20 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with each contracted sector about the services it provides, and the money providers are entitled to in return. As in previous years, this issue will be dealt with as part of that process. We will shortly begin discussions on the annual GP Contract.

We have made the necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the Autumn Budget. The employers’ National Insurance rise will be implemented in April 2025. We will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year in due course.

Primary care providers, including general practitioners (GPs), are valued independent contractors that provide nearly £20 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with each contracted sector about the services it provides, and the money providers are entitled to in return. As in previous years, this issue will be dealt with as part of that process. We will shortly begin discussions on the annual GP Contract.

It is the responsibility of individual UK medical schools to determine the content of their own curricula. The delivery of these undergraduate curricula has to meet the standards set by the medical regulator, the General Medical Council (GMC), who monitors and checks to make sure that these standards are maintained. GMC standards require the curriculum to be formed in a way that allows all medical students to meet the GMC’s Outcomes for Graduates by the time they complete their medical degree, which describes the knowledge, skills and behaviour they have to show as newly registered doctors.

Malaria is not currently transmitted in the United Kingdom, but travel-associated cases occur in those who have returned to, or arrived in, the UK from malaria-endemic areas.

Modelling has investigated the impact of different climate change scenarios on the likelihood for plasmodium falciparum transmission in the UK. Four of the five models suggested a low risk by the year 2100, even at extreme scenarios, with the fifth model predicting suitability in southern England for sustained transmission lasting more than one month by 2080.

With climate change, theoretically a warmer summer would reduce the extrinsic incubation of the pathogen in mosquitos and increase the local malaria risk.

No such assessment has been made. The Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance, by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no National Insurance contributions (NICs) at all next year, more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package, and all eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.

The Government is committed to expanding the pharmacy workforce and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists, as we shift care from the hospital to the community.

We have inherited ongoing global supply problems that continue to impact medicine availability. We know how frustrating this can be for patients and community pharmacists. We are working closely with industry, the National Health Service, manufacturers, and other partners in the supply chain to resolve issues as quickly as possible to make sure patients can access the medicines they need.

Now that the budget for the Government has been set, we will shortly be resuming our consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding the funding arrangements for 2024/25. We are unable to say more until these have been concluded.

We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. From 2026, all newly qualified pharmacists will be independent prescribers, and we are investing in training legacy staff to develop clinical and technical roles.

The consultation with Community Pharmacy England on the national funding and contractual framework arrangements has not yet been concluded, and we are looking into this as a matter of urgency.

We have inherited ongoing global supply problems that continue to impact medicine availability. We know how frustrating this can be for patients and community pharmacists. We are working closely with industry, the National Health Service, manufacturers, and other partners in the supply chain to resolve issues as quickly as possible to make sure patients can access the medicines they need.

We are committed to supporting improvements to the existing treatment system, ensuring people experiencing gambling-related harm are able to access the right care at the right time.

NHS England now operates 15 specialist gambling treatment clinics, up from two in 2019, with representation across every region in England. Through these clinics, the National Health Service has capacity to treat up to 3,000 people experiencing gambling-related harms each year.

General practitioners are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.

The NICE is currently developing a gambling-related harms guideline, focused on identification, assessment, and management of people who may be harmed by gambling. Publication is expected later this year.

Veterans can access specialist mental health support either through Op COURAGE, a bespoke integrated mental health pathway for veterans, or NHS Talking Therapies. As of 30 June 2024, Op COURAGE reported that they were actively supporting 2,702 veterans. Since its inception in April 2017, there have been over 38,500 referrals to Op COURAGE. In addition to the Op COURAGE services, between 1 April 2020 and 30 June 2024, 63,810 veterans have entered NHS Talking Therapy treatment services.

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including vitiligo. All research proposals compete for available funding. Applications undergo peer review and are judged based on their importance to patients and health services, value for money, and scientific quality. Funding in any disease area depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The NIHR has funded research on various aspects of skin diseases, including specifically on vitiligo home interventions, light therapy, ruxolitinib treatment, and the quality of vitiligo randomised controlled trials. The NIHR has also analysed research evidence on the use of ruxolitinib for treating vitiligo as part of an ongoing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence technology appraisal.