Asked by: Peter Prinsley (Labour - Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket)
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 impact of abolishing NHS England on the number of research partnerships with universities in (a) public health, (b) clinical trials, (c) innovation and (d) other areas.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead the formation of a new joint centre. As we work to bring the two organisations together, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.
We continue to work collaboratively across both organisations to put in place plans to ensure continuity of services.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), funded by the Department, is the nation’s largest funder of clinical, public health, and social care research, and is committed to working in partnership with the National Health Service, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. The Department’s investment in NIHR research partnerships will not be impacted by the formation of a new joint centre.
Asked by: Peter Prinsley (Labour - Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to help increase the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of clinical academics.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that clinical academics are crucial to delivering world leading research across the health and care system, and for training future generations of healthcare professionals.
NHS England published an Educator Workforce Strategy in 2023 setting out the key priority actions that will lead to the sufficient capacity and quality of diverse educators to allow for the growth in the healthcare workforce needed now and in the future.
The National Clinical Impact Awards Scheme serves as a recognition and retention tool for the consultant doctors and dentists, clinical academics, and academic general practitioners who have the highest impact on the wider National Health Service and public health.
Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Department has invested substantially in training since 2006, with the Department being the largest funder of research training for clinical academics in the United Kingdom.
We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again.
Asked by: Peter Prinsley (Labour - Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to incentivise the recruitment and retention of clinical academics.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that clinical academics are crucial to delivering world leading research across the health and care system, and for training future generations of healthcare professionals.
NHS England published an Educator Workforce Strategy in 2023 setting out the key priority actions that will lead to the sufficient capacity and quality of diverse educators to allow for the growth in the healthcare workforce needed now and in the future.
The National Clinical Impact Awards Scheme serves as a recognition and retention tool for the consultant doctors and dentists, clinical academics, and academic general practitioners who have the highest impact on the wider National Health Service and public health.
Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Department has invested substantially in training since 2006, with the Department being the largest funder of research training for clinical academics in the United Kingdom.
We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again.
Asked by: Peter Prinsley (Labour - Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to establish a cross-departmental ministerial taskforce with the Department for Education to support workforce planning between the higher education sector and the health service.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Education on a wide range of matters to ensure cross-departmental collaboration on workforce planning in higher education and the healthcare service.
We have launched the 10-Year Health Plan, which will set out a bold agenda to reform and repair the National Health Service. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, and with the right skills, will be central to this vision.
Asked by: Peter Prinsley (Labour - Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress NHS England has made on becoming the first health service in the world to achieve carbon net zero; and whether this work will continue in the new health service structure.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service has made substantial progress in supporting the Government’s Net Zero commitments. These include securing over £1.2 billion in funding through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, the NHS-wide decommissioning of desflurane, ongoing reduction in waste from nitrous oxide, and the introduction of requirements for NHS suppliers to disclose their emissions and publish a carbon reduction plan, in line with the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap.
Going forward, the Department will continue to work with partners across the NHS and Government to deliver on these aims, including through our recently announced £100 million partnership with Great British Energy, that will increase NHS solar generation by 300%.
The Government remains committed to supporting NHS bodies to meet their obligations regarding the environment, and as we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.
Asked by: Peter Prinsley (Labour - Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department’s plans are for the Greener NHS Programme.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government remains committed to supporting National Health Service bodies to meet their obligations regarding the environment, and we continue to work to ensure that the NHS fulfils its significant potential to contribute to our clean power mission and Net Zero legal commitments.
NHS trusts have made significant progress on environmental goals in recent years, including securing £1.2 billion in funding though the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme since 2019. In addition, every trust and integrated care board now has a clear “Green Plan” in place, setting out the key actions that will deliver emissions reductions and support resilience to climate impacts.
The Department will continue to work with partners across the NHS and Government to deliver on these aims. For instance, we have recently completed a £95 million investment through the National Energy Efficiency Fund to drive down trust energy bills and emissions. Looking forward, together with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, we recently announced a £100 million partnership with Great British Energy that will increase NHS solar generation by 300%.
Asked by: Peter Prinsley (Labour - Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of patients suffering from asthma received a review in the last 12 months.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Across 2023/24, the latest data available, 2.5 million, or 64.6% of, patients on the asthma register received a review. Further information is available at the following link:
In addition, the most recent asthma hospital admissions data for England is available at the following link:
https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/asthma
Furthermore, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development holds international comparison data for asthma hospital admissions, up to 2022, which is available at the following link:
There is no published international comparison data for asthma hospital admissions available for the past 12 months, and the Department currently has no plans to make an assessment of this.
Asked by: Peter Prinsley (Labour - Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make a comparative estimate of the number of people hospitalised due to asthma compared to other European nations in 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Across 2023/24, the latest data available, 2.5 million, or 64.6% of, patients on the asthma register received a review. Further information is available at the following link:
In addition, the most recent asthma hospital admissions data for England is available at the following link:
https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/asthma
Furthermore, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development holds international comparison data for asthma hospital admissions, up to 2022, which is available at the following link:
There is no published international comparison data for asthma hospital admissions available for the past 12 months, and the Department currently has no plans to make an assessment of this.
Asked by: Peter Prinsley (Labour - Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the potential cost to the public purse was of spending on FeNo machines in the NHS in the last 12 months.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the Respiratory Solutions Framework, NHS Supply Chain supplies fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) devices and related consumables. The spend for the past 12 months is as follows:
Please note that these figures are for spend by NHS Supply Chain, and do not include spending for the whole National Health Service.
Asked by: Peter Prinsley (Labour - Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will (a) publish a strategy to improve the management of long-term conditions and (b) request integrated care systems to develop localised action plans for their communities.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Improving health outcomes for people who live with long-term conditions is a key part of our mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future.
We have committed to delivering a 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move NHS healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, and treatment to prevention. We will be carefully considering input from the public, patients, health staff, and stakeholders as we develop the plan which will include a focus on how to improve the management of long-term conditions, over the coming months.
The implementation of Secure Data Environments (SDEs) allowing NHS data to be accessed through secure platforms rather than shared with researchers, will support safer and more secure access to health and care data for secondary uses, such as research into prevalence and impact. This is being delivered by major investment in digital infrastructure across the NHS in England, including the NHS Research SDE Network funded by the Data for Research and Development programme.
The Single Patient Record will give clinicians in different settings access to the comprehensive records on person's health, so that they have the information they need to make the best-informed decisions when delivering care and treatment.
Most services for long-term conditions are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population. It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that are convenient and meet patients’ needs.
As announced by the Prime Minister on 13 March 2025, the Government is abolishing NHS England. That will put the NHS back at the centre of Government to focus on patients’ experience, less bureaucracy and on cutting waiting times at hospitals. Part of these considerations will include how national and local governance arrangements work together to improve health outcomes for NHS patients locally, including those with long-term conditions.