Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with private contractors working in the NHS on trade union recognition for employees.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There have been no specific discussions on this matter. The terms and conditions in the standard National Health Service contract, used to contract with private contractors in England, recognises the need to engage with trade unions where they are present and as applicable for that contract. Otherwise, private contractors are like any other employer and need to comply with the existing rules on trade union recognition, as set out in the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with private contractors working in the NHS on paying staff the same rates as equivalent NHS staff.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There have been no specific discussions on this with private contractors working in the National Health Service.
Independent organisations commissioned by the NHS in England, such as general practices or social enterprises, are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment, including the pay scales that they use. It is for them to determine what is affordable within the financial model they operate.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
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 ambulance waiting times in (a) Ashford constituency and (b) Kent.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that in recent years ambulance response times have not met the high standards patients should expect.
We are determined to turn things around. Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, backed by almost £450 million of capital investment, commits to reducing ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average this year. We are also tackling unacceptable ambulance handover delays by introducing a maximum 45-minute standard, supporting ambulances to be released more quickly and get back on the road to treat patients.
The latest National Health Service performance figures for the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, which serves Ashford and Kent, show that Category 2 incidents were responded to in 29 minutes 57 seconds on average, and the mean handover time was 18 minutes 10 seconds, meeting the targets set by the plan.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
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 announce the new membership of the National Quality Board.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In our 10-Year Health Plan we committed to reintroducing a new, rigorous focus on high-quality care for all, and that as part of this we will revitalise the National Quality Board. The next meeting of the National Quality Board is in December, and we continue to review its membership to ensure it is an effective decision-making body. The membership includes representatives from a wide range of organisations and arms-length bodies in the health and care sector.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
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 adequacy of the application of food safety regulations to (a) the vehicles and (b) the bags used by delivery drivers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Food safety regulations in the United Kingdom apply to all stages of the food supply chain, including the transport and delivery of food by vehicles and in bags. These requirements are set out in the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, which implement assimilated Regulation (EU) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs. Under these regulations:
- vehicles used for food delivery must be kept clean, maintained in good condition, and designed to prevent contamination. Where necessary, they must be capable of maintaining appropriate temperatures for chilled or frozen foods;
- hot food must be kept at 63˚C or above. However, limited periods outside temperature control are permitted, to accommodate the practicalities of handling during the preparation, transport, storage, display, and service of food, provided that it does not result in a risk to health; and
- delivery bags and containers must also be kept clean and made from materials that are easily maintained and suitable for food contact. They must protect food from contamination and, where required, maintain safe temperatures during transport.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) provides guidance to food businesses on how to meet these requirements, including advice on cleaning, temperature control, and preventing cross-contamination. Businesses are expected to assess and manage these risks through their food safety management systems.
The existing legal framework is considered sufficient to ensure food safety during delivery, provided businesses comply with their responsibilities.
Local authorities are responsible for enforcing these food hygiene requirements as part of their role in regulating food businesses. Further information is available on the FSA’s website at the following link:
https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/food-safety-for-food-delivery
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
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 more GP practices join the veteran friendly GP accreditation programme.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England, in partnership with the Royal College of General Practitioners, is continuing to encourage general practices (GPs) to participate in the Armed Forces Veteran Friendly GP accreditation scheme. This voluntary initiative is available to GPs across England and is free to access. To date, over 99% of primary care networks have at least one accredited GP in their area.
100% of National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts in England are now officially accredited as Veteran Aware. This achievement, led by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance, reflects a national commitment to provide compassionate, personalised care to serving personnel, reservists, veterans, and their families.
In addition, the Department announced the National Training and Education Programme which will see NHS staff across England receiving dedicated training to help them identify and support patients with military backgrounds.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will provide multi-year funding settlements for children's hospices in (a) Kent and (b) England after this financial year.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.
We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant. Two children’s hospices based in Kent, Demelza Hospice and Ellenor Hospice, are receiving £1,750,000 and £189,000 respectively.
I am currently having discussions with NHS England and Department officials about the funding arrangements for children and young people’s hospices throughout England beyond 2025/26. We hope to be able to provide further communication on this later this autumn.
The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
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 reduce the number of cancelled surgeries (a) at the East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust and (b) in England as a result of increased humidity in operating theatres.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service organisations are locally responsible for their estate, including making decisions on the management of operating theatres. Guidance on ventilation in healthcare premises, including humidity, is provided in the Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 03-01: Specialised ventilation for healthcare premises, which is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/specialised-ventilation-for-healthcare-buildings/
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of his Department's policies on the adequacy of the care available to people living with dementia; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a (a) more coordinated and (b) long-term approach to foster improvements in (i) support, (ii) research, (iii) diagnosis and (iv) care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We would expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. This could include, but is not limited to, support groups, tailored exercise programs, mental health services, and learning engagement opportunities.
To support ICBs, the Government is investing in dementia research across all areas, from causes, diagnosis and prevention to treatment, care and support, including for carers.
We remain committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%. To help realise this ambition, the Government will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.
The Government is committed to improving dementia care through empowering local leaders with the autonomy they need to provide the best services to their local community, including those with dementia.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
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 support public health action to tackle tuberculosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England’s joint tuberculosis (TB) action plan for England details actions to achieve a 90% reduction in people with TB by 2035 and is aligned with the World Health Organization’s elimination targets. The plan is available at the following link:
The United Kingdom’s pre-entry TB screening programme operates in 102 countries to reduce the importation of TB by screening applicants for long term visas from high TB incidence countries. People are screened in line with the UK Tuberculosis Technical Instructions, which are available at the following link:
Active TB disease can be prevented by identifying, testing, and treating people with TB infection. People who are close contacts of individuals with infectious TB are also tested for infection, so they can be treated before the disease develops.
NHS England’s national latent TB testing programme for migrants from high incidence countries operates in 27 of the 42 integrated care board areas in England.
In March 2025, NHS England and The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital published a Getting it Right First Time review of TB services, which included a series of recommendations to reduce unwarranted variation in clinical practice and improve care, especially to underserved populations. The report is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/girft-review-of-tuberculosis-national-report.pdf
The UKHSA, in collaboration with key stakeholders, is leading work to develop a new national action plan for 2026 to 2031, which includes a call for evidence.