Asked by: Anneliese Midgley (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what proportion of research funding is allocated to epilepsy research; and if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of this proportion.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Medical Research Council (MRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), has committed a total of over £25.5 million since 2018/19 on epilepsy research, including over £9.5 million in 2024/25. This research spans discovery science and fundamental understanding of the disease, through to new approaches for diagnosis and intervention. MRC also supports epilepsy research within its portfolio of larger investments. For example, this includes a new MRC Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) in Restorative Neural Dynamics which aims to develop brain stimulation devices to treat a range of conditions including childhood epilepsy, and the UK data platform for Traumatic Brain Injury research (TBI-REPORTER) which includes post-traumatic epilepsy as one of the areas of focus.
The Department of Health and Social Care also funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR has funded a range of ongoing epilepsy research and has awarded £12.8 million to studies in the last five financial years. The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including alternative treatments for epilepsy.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to mitigate the impact of resident doctors’ industrial action on NHS capacity and patient safety during the winter period.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government made a comprehensive offer to resident doctors in writing on 8 December 2025. The offer included a range of measures, such as introducing emergency legislation to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates, increasing the number of training posts over the next three years, and measures which would put money back in doctors’ pockets. The offer was rejected by the British Medical Association (BMA) resident doctor membership on 15 December 2025.
As a result, planned strikes from 17 to 22 December went ahead, posing risks to the National Health Service during a critical period. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has taken all possible steps to prevent these strikes, including offering to extend the BMA’s mandate to allow further consultation.
The Department and the NHS are now focused on managing the combined challenges of flu and industrial action, having already vaccinated 17 million people, 170,000 more than last year, and 60,000 more NHS staff, and are working closely with frontline leaders to prepare for disruption.
An operational response, led by NHS England, is stood up to prepare and mitigate the impacts of strikes and to ensure patient safety is maintained. As has always been the case, employers will seek to mitigate the impact of any industrial action, including seeking to agree voluntary patient safety mitigations with trade unions at a local or national level with support from NHS England, and rearranging elective care, as appropriate, to maintain urgent services.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measures are in place to prevent CHC funding reductions from compromising care for vulnerable patients in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England have made clear that any work to manage costs by integrated care boards (ICB) must be carried out with clear safeguards in place to protect frontline responsibilities.
ICBs remain legally responsible for the operational delivery of NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) and must have regard to the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care, which is available at the following link:
Funding for CHC is not ringfenced, but is calculated using the ICB allocation formula. Individual ICBs should decide how best to use their overall funding allocation to deliver their statutory functions, including CHC. Any ICB measures to manage costs should not impact on an individual’s eligibility for CHC, or their care. This means that eligible individuals must continue to receive appropriate care that meets their assessed needs.
NHS England has issued a good practice guide for CHC to support National Health Service staff by providing practical ways for ICBs to enhance system efficiency and deliver sustainable services.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
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 ensure that CHC funding cuts do not reduce access to care in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England have made clear that any work to manage costs by integrated care boards (ICB) must be carried out with clear safeguards in place to protect frontline responsibilities.
ICBs remain legally responsible for the operational delivery of NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) and must have regard to the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care, which is available at the following link:
Funding for CHC is not ringfenced, but is calculated using the ICB allocation formula. Individual ICBs should decide how best to use their overall funding allocation to deliver their statutory functions, including CHC. Any ICB measures to manage costs should not impact on an individual’s eligibility for CHC, or their care. This means that eligible individuals must continue to receive appropriate care that meets their assessed needs.
NHS England has issued a good practice guide for CHC to support National Health Service staff by providing practical ways for ICBs to enhance system efficiency and deliver sustainable services.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department is supporting NHS staff who may be adversely affected by CHC funding reductions.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England have made clear that any work to manage costs by integrated care boards (ICB) must be carried out with clear safeguards in place to protect frontline responsibilities.
ICBs remain legally responsible for the operational delivery of NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) and must have regard to the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care, which is available at the following link:
Funding for CHC is not ringfenced, but is calculated using the ICB allocation formula. Individual ICBs should decide how best to use their overall funding allocation to deliver their statutory functions, including CHC. Any ICB measures to manage costs should not impact on an individual’s eligibility for CHC, or their care. This means that eligible individuals must continue to receive appropriate care that meets their assessed needs.
NHS England has issued a good practice guide for CHC to support National Health Service staff by providing practical ways for ICBs to enhance system efficiency and deliver sustainable services.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
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 cuts to Continuing Healthcare funding on patient care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England have made clear that any work to manage costs by integrated care boards (ICB) must be carried out with clear safeguards in place to protect frontline responsibilities.
ICBs remain legally responsible for the operational delivery of NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) and must have regard to the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care, which is available at the following link:
Funding for CHC is not ringfenced, but is calculated using the ICB allocation formula. Individual ICBs should decide how best to use their overall funding allocation to deliver their statutory functions, including CHC. Any ICB measures to manage costs should not impact on an individual’s eligibility for CHC, or their care. This means that eligible individuals must continue to receive appropriate care that meets their assessed needs.
NHS England has issued a good practice guide for CHC to support National Health Service staff by providing practical ways for ICBs to enhance system efficiency and deliver sustainable services.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Welltower on ensuring that its acquisition of HC-One, Barchester and Care UK does not have adverse impacts on a) care staff and b) care home residents.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not had any discussions with Welltower about their recent investment in the acquisitions of care homes.
The Government has not made a specific assessment of the impact of Welltower’s acquisition of Barchester Healthcare on the market concentration in London and the South East. Merger investigations on competition grounds are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which operates independently of Government. The CMA determines which transactions to review based on statutory thresholds and whether there is a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition. The Government keeps the merger control regime under regular review to ensure it remains fit for purpose and works effectively within the current regulatory environment.
Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all people, and to develop and build local market capacity. This includes commissioning a variety of different providers and specialist services that provide genuine choice to meet the needs of local people and that offer quality and value for money.
Whilst fee rates are set by providers of adult social care, all businesses are required to comply with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 by ensuring that they use fair and clear terms in their standard agreements with customers.
Private providers also hold much of the responsibility for recruitment and retention as adult social care employers. However, English local authorities do also have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 (a) improve capacity within the social care system and (b) reduce delayed discharges.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working closely with NHS England and local authorities to improve social care capacity and reduce delayed discharges.
The Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund (MSIF) provided over £1 billion to local authorities for adult social care over 2025/26, based on their areas’ needs, to target increasing fee rates paid to adult social care providers, increasing adult social care workforce recruitment and retention, and reducing waiting times for care.
We are also supporting the digitisation of adult social care, which can strengthen capacity within the social care system through productivity improvements. 80% of registered care providers now have digitised care records, benefitting 89% of people who draw on care. Digital care records can save time spent on administrative tasks, releasing over 20 minutes per care worker, per shift.
The Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 identifies reducing delays in hospital discharge as a key priority. Hospitals are expected to eliminate discharge delays of more than 48 hours caused by in-hospital issues, to work with local authorities to tackle the longest delays, starting with those over 21 days, and to profile discharges by pathway to support local planning. In addition, the 2025/26 policy framework for the £9 billion Better Care Fund requires the National Health Service and local authorities to jointly agree local goals for reducing discharge delays.
Starting in the financial year 2026/27, we will reform the Better Care Fund. This reform will provide a sharper focus on ensuring consistent joint NHS and local authority funding for those services that are essential for integrated health and social care, such as hospital discharge, intermediate care, rehabilitation and reablement. We will set out further details in due course.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has held recent discussions with the Scottish Government on the inclusion of data from NHS Scotland in the UK Pelvic Floor Registry; and what his expected timescale is for full UK-wide data integration.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As a Government department, the Department of Health and Social Care engages constructively and works collaboratively with the devolved administrations on areas of shared interest, including information sharing, coordination, and issues that have United Kingdom wide or cross-border implications.
The NHS England Outcomes and Registries Programme invites relevant health professionals from the devolved nations to participate in monthly clinical steering groups across several clinical registries to foster collaboration and alignment of working practices. Wales and Northern Ireland have participated fully in the Pelvic Organ Prolapse and Stress Urinary Incontinence Clinical Steering Group. Scottish representatives last participated in November 2024, though they continue to be sent minutes of the progress of the NHS England-led Group.
The registry is due to be launched across 50% of English providers in February, with a second wave covering the remaining English providers planned for summer 2026.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of services that have been permanently cut from community hospitals following temporary trials in each year for which information is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Decisions about NHS services, including in Cirencester, are best taken at a local level, and the responsibility for the delivery, implementation and funding decisions for services ultimately rests with the appropriate NHS commissioner.
All service changes should be based on clear evidence that they will deliver better outcomes for patients. Substantial planned service change should be subject to a full public consultation and meet the Government and NHS England’s ‘tests’ to ensure good decision-making.
The Department does not hold information centrally on the number of services that have been permanently decommissioned from community hospitals following temporary trials.