Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much capital funding her Department has allocated for the rollout of neighbourhood health centres (a) in England and (b) for each eligible integrated care board.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and we recognise that delivering high quality NHS healthcare requires the right infrastructure in the right places.
That is why over the course of our 10-Year Health Plan, we aim to establish a neighbourhood health centre in every community, transforming healthcare access by bringing historically hospital-based services into communities and addressing wider determinants of health through services like debt advice, employment support, and obesity management programmes.
Nationwide coverage will take time, and we will start by using public capital to update and refurbish existing, under-used buildings, targeting places where healthy life expectancy is lowest and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.
Capital funding for neighbourhood health centres will become available from 2026/27, with detailed planning guidance for local systems to be communicated before the end of the year.
As outlined in the Government’s 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy, a decision on whether to proceed with the use of Public Private Partnerships for neighbourhood health centres will be made by HM Treasury and relevant ministers by the 2025 Autumn Budget.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the number of civil servants working from home for three days a week or more is increasing or decreasing.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments, Office for Scotland, Office for Wales and Northern Ireland Office.
Data for the latest period for which data is available is copied below. No other information on occupancy data or workforce attendance is gathered centrally.
Departments manage their own arrangements for monitoring workforce attendance. Heads of departments have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service.
Monthly Average HQ Building Occupancy (Quarter 1: April to June 2025)
| Departmental HQ | Building | April | May | June |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cabinet Office | 70 Whitehall | 62% | 92% | 83% |
Department for Business and Trade | Old Admiralty Building | 76% | 79% | 77% |
Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 100 Parliament Street | 69% | 72% | 62% |
Department for Education | Sanctuary Buildings | 65% | 66% | 70% |
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | 3-8 Whitehall Place/55 Whitehall | 100% | 97% | 100% |
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 2 Marsham Street | 74% | 59% | 72% |
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | 22 Whitehall | 88% | 85% | 92% |
Department for Transport | Great Minster House | 61% | 61% | 61% |
Department for Work and Pensions | Caxton House | 61% | 61% | 62% |
Department of Health and Social Care | 39 Victoria Street | 76% | 81% | 72% |
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office | King Charles Street | 65% | 63% | 65% |
HM Revenue and Customs | 100 Parliament Street | 70% | 68% | 73% |
HM Treasury | 1 Horse Guards | 68% | 69% | 68% |
Home Office | 2 Marsham Street | 72% | 74% | 73% |
Ministry of Defence | MOD Main Building | 82% | 85% | 87% |
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 2 Marsham Street | 71% | 72% | 74% |
Ministry of Justice | 102 Petty France | 81% | 75% | 76% |
Northern Ireland Office | 1 HG/Erskine House | 57% | 59% | 59% |
Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland | Dover House | 61% | 55% | 62% |
Office of the Secretary of State for Wales | Gwydyr House | 66% | 59% | 59% |
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: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
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 the availability of space in (a) surgeries and (b) community buildings on the implementation of the NHS 10 Year Plan.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Over the course of the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government has committed to deliver a Neighbourhood Health Centre (NHC) in every community. The Department of Health and Social Care is currently determining how best to trial NHCs, including identifying potential site locations.
Wherever possible, we will maximise value for money by repurposing poorly used, existing NHS and public sector estate. To support this, we have requested initial information from systems on local assets they already have.
As strategic commissioners, integrated care boards will be key in identifying where NHCs are required, where more efficient and effective use could be made of existing assets, and defining their requirements for an NHC in the context of other supporting infrastructure in the local area.
The £102 million Primary Care Utilisation & Modernisation Fund will upgrade more than a thousand GP surgeries across England. Improving use of existing buildings and spaces will enable improved productivity and projects will focus on works that unlock additional clinical space and make better use of existing buildings. They will include much-needed conversion, refurbishment and reconfiguration schemes.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
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 mental health provision in (a) rural and (b) agricultural communities.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are working with NHS England on a refreshed workforce plan, which will revolve around the three shifts to deliver our 10-Year Health Plan: moving more care from hospitals to communities; making better use of technology in health and care; and focusing on preventing sickness, not just treating it, including in rural and agricultural communities.
Responsibility for the onward commissioning of mental health services sits with integrated care boards (ICB). It is the role of local ICB decision-makers to consider the implications of mental health services, specific to each geography and including the perspectives of healthcare professionals, patient advocacy groups, and local authorities.
We are also committed to the rolling out Young Futures Hubs in communities in England, which will be designed with local areas, leveraging local understanding of services in each area, including rural and agricultural needs. Young Futures Hubs will develop from existing buildings and provision, identified by local areas. This will make best use of existing local assets and the successes of existing provision partnerships and support.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure the preparedness of NHS hospitals for extreme weather conditions.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government continues to support the resilience of the healthcare estate through substantial capital investment. National Health Service trusts are responsible for maintaining their estate, including adapting premises to reduce risks associated with climate change and severe weather, as set out in the NHS Standard Contract. The Department is supporting the improvement of NHS sites by investing £30 billion over the next five years in day-to-day maintenance and repair, with £5 billion allocated specifically to address the most critical building issues. We are also continuing delivery through the New Hospital Programme, where schemes will achieve a minimum Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method rating of ‘Excellent’ for new builds, and ‘Very Good’ for refurbishments, including a key focus on climate adaptation. In addition, all NHS investments in new buildings and upgrades to existing facilities that are subject to the HM Treasury business case approval process must align with the NHS Net Zero Building Standard, which includes a focus on overheating risks.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many buildings managed by his Department have been found to have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service has been surveying hospital sites to identify the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) since 2019. The table below shows the number of NHS sites found to have RAAC in the Fylde constituency and Lancashire:
Area | Number of sites |
Fyle Constituency | 0 |
Lancashire | 3 |
Note: the three sites in Lancashire were the Blackpool Victoria Hospital, now eradicated, the Royal Blackburn Hospital, and the Blackburn Ambulance Station.
The Department has published a full list of sites with confirmed RAAC on GOV.UK website, at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-in-hospitals-management-information
Once the presence of RAAC is confirmed at a hospital site, the trust joins NHS England’s national RAAC programme, which has delivered mitigation and eradication works across all hospital sites with confirmed RAAC to keep facilities safe and open, and which is working to remove RAAC fully from the NHS estate.
The Government is committed to removing RAAC from the NHS estate as a priority and will continue to support NHS England’s RAAC programme with £440 million in 2025/26.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has provided to (a) local healthcare trusts and (b) ICBs on the specification for Neighbourhood Health Centres.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has set out its vision for Neighbourhood Health Centres in the 10-Year Health Plan, co-locating National Health Service, local authority and voluntary sector services and bring historically hospital-based services into the community. These should be part of a broader offer that is defined locally to meet the local population needs holistically, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
NHS England’s health building notes give best practice guidance on the design and planning of new healthcare buildings and on the adaption or extension of existing facilities, including for primary and community care services. These are available to both NHS trusts and integrated care boards, and are available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/estates/health-building-notes/
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of GP practices operating in premises not fit for purpose; and what steps his Department is taking to increase funding to address this issue.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, with world class infrastructure across the entire NHS estate and confronting the challenges posed by historic underinvestment in primary care.
There are 8,500 buildings that form the general practice (GP) estate nationally and we have worked with integrated care systems to develop infrastructure strategies which create a long-term plan for future estate requirements and investment for each local area and its specific needs. These strategies bring together planning for the existing and future primary care and secondary estate when considering how best to improve local service delivery.
Bath, Northeast Somerset, Swindon & Wiltshire Integrated Care Board is responsible for commissioning, planning, securing, and monitoring GP services within Wiltshire through delegated responsibility from NHS England and works with local practices to ensure that the community continues to receive world class health services.
We recently announced over 1,000 GP schemes which will benefit from this year's £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund, supporting GPs to improve the use of their existing buildings and space, boosting productivity and enabling delivery of more appointments. However, GPs are independent contractors who should routinely fund investment in maintaining their estate by utilising their own funds, borrowing, or through partnerships with third party developers.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of GP premises in Wiltshire; and what recent estimate he has made of the number of practices operating in buildings considered unfit for purpose.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, with world class infrastructure across the entire NHS estate and confronting the challenges posed by historic underinvestment in primary care.
There are 8,500 buildings that form the general practice (GP) estate nationally and we have worked with integrated care systems to develop infrastructure strategies which create a long-term plan for future estate requirements and investment for each local area and its specific needs. These strategies bring together planning for the existing and future primary care and secondary estate when considering how best to improve local service delivery.
Bath, Northeast Somerset, Swindon & Wiltshire Integrated Care Board is responsible for commissioning, planning, securing, and monitoring GP services within Wiltshire through delegated responsibility from NHS England and works with local practices to ensure that the community continues to receive world class health services.
We recently announced over 1,000 GP schemes which will benefit from this year's £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund, supporting GPs to improve the use of their existing buildings and space, boosting productivity and enabling delivery of more appointments. However, GPs are independent contractors who should routinely fund investment in maintaining their estate by utilising their own funds, borrowing, or through partnerships with third party developers.