Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to a) reduce and b) support victims of scam texts from people pretending to be the NHS.

NHS England has worked with the National Cyber Security Centre and telecommunications partners to implement technical measures to reduce fraudulent text messages purporting to be from National Health Service organisations. NHS England has also issued guidance to organisations that promotes clear and consistent use of SMS to help patients recognise genuine NHS communications. Patients who receive a suspicious message are encouraged to follow the National Cyber Security Centre's guidance on spotting and reporting scam texts.

Additionally, any scam texts should be reported to Report Fraud, the national reporting service for fraud and cybercrime in the United Kingdom. They can be contacted by phone on 0300 123 2040, or on their website at the following link:

https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/reporting-a-fraud/

More generally, the Government works closely with industry, regulators, law enforcement, and consumer groups to close the vulnerabilities that criminals exploit and stop scams reaching people. On 5 November 2025, the Government launched the second Telecoms Fraud Charter to go further in identifying, preventing, and disrupting telecoms fraud. We are also working closely with Ofcom to stop more cases of number ‘spoofing’, where scammers impersonate UK numbers and trick people into thinking they’re speaking to banks, telephone companies, or other legitimate organisations. Further details are available at the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fraud-sector-charter-telecommunications