Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 patients who pursue non-NHS ADHD treatment are not disadvantaged in accessing (a) ongoing and (b) future NHS treatment.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not issued guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) or general practices (GPs) on supporting patients with private attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses to transition into National Health Service care.
It is the responsibility of the ICBs in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to ADHD services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
Shared care with the NHS refers to an arrangement whereby a specialist doctor formally transfers responsibility for all or some aspects of their patient’s care, such as prescription of medication, over to the patient’s GP.
The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates and sets standards for doctors in the United Kingdom, has made it clear that GPs cannot be compelled to enter into a shared care agreement. GPs may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds.
The GMC has issued guidance on prescribing and managing medicines, which helps GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors such as whether the proposed activity is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes the GP being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate.
If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician, and this applies to both NHS and private medical care.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with NHS England on the adequacy of the consistency of shared care prescribing arrangements for ADHD medication in each Integrated Care Board.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not issued guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) or general practices (GPs) on supporting patients with private attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses to transition into National Health Service care.
It is the responsibility of the ICBs in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to ADHD services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
Shared care with the NHS refers to an arrangement whereby a specialist doctor formally transfers responsibility for all or some aspects of their patient’s care, such as prescription of medication, over to the patient’s GP.
The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates and sets standards for doctors in the United Kingdom, has made it clear that GPs cannot be compelled to enter into a shared care agreement. GPs may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds.
The GMC has issued guidance on prescribing and managing medicines, which helps GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors such as whether the proposed activity is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes the GP being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate.
If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician, and this applies to both NHS and private medical care.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 issued to (a) ICBs and (b) GP practices on supporting patients with private ADHD diagnoses to transition into NHS care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not issued guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) or general practices (GPs) on supporting patients with private attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses to transition into National Health Service care.
It is the responsibility of the ICBs in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to ADHD services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
Shared care with the NHS refers to an arrangement whereby a specialist doctor formally transfers responsibility for all or some aspects of their patient’s care, such as prescription of medication, over to the patient’s GP.
The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates and sets standards for doctors in the United Kingdom, has made it clear that GPs cannot be compelled to enter into a shared care agreement. GPs may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds.
The GMC has issued guidance on prescribing and managing medicines, which helps GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors such as whether the proposed activity is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes the GP being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate.
If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician, and this applies to both NHS and private medical care.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what modelling he undertook during the Spending Review process for funding for the (a) palliative and (b) end of life care sectors for (i) 2025-26, (ii) 2026-27 and (iii) 2027-28.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Department and NHS England officials used a variety of data sources, local examples, and academic research in the modelling for the palliative care and end of life care bids that were made as part of the Spending Review (SR) process.
The SR announced that annual National Health Service day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. This will take the NHS resource budget to £226 billion by 2028/29, the equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period.
At this stage, it is still too early to say how much funding will be allocated to palliative care and end of life care, which will be worked through in the coming weeks.
Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end of life, as well as their loved ones. Integrated care boards are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations, and this can include, but does not have to include, services commissioned from hospice providers.
We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for 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 for children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.
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, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS providers remain accountable for discharging their statutory safeguarding duties for children following the closure of NHS England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England’s safeguarding officials already work as one team to ensure that ministerial decisions are informed by policy and clinical expertise, considering the distinct yet integrated layers of child safeguarding functions. Through the upcoming transformation of NHS England and its integration with the Department, we will ensure health services continue to deliver core services and statutory safeguarding duties.
NHS England remains committed to supporting integrated, collaborative safeguarding arrangements that reflect statutory duties and local context. NHS England is actively engaging with safeguarding professionals across the system, including those in local government, integrated care boards (ICBs), and provider organisations, to ensure that safeguarding functions are not compromised amidst the upcoming changes. The frameworks and protocols outlining the expectations and accountability for safeguarding across National Health Service funded care continue to apply, with health services remaining accountable for safeguarding.
The statutory safeguarding duties for children are imbedded in the NHS Safeguarding Accountability and Assurance Framework, and NHS England is working with all NHS providers and ICBs to ensure these statutory safeguarding functions are protected through the Model ICB programme.
Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
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 tailor (a) guidance and (b) support for local authorities to help mitigate increasing demand on adult social care services due to demographic ageing.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government accounted for a wide range of pressures, including demographic changes through the 2025 Spending Review. The resulting settlement allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements.
The Department also works closely with the sector to deliver a programme of universal and targeted support. For example, through the Partners in Care and Health contract, support is provided to local authorities and partners to develop commissioning and market sustainability strategies, helping them respond to increasing service demand, including that linked to demographic ageing.
Adult social care is part of our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service that shifts care from hospitals to communities, with more personalised, proactive and joined-up health and care services that help people stay independent for as long as possible. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will work towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered locally to create healthier communities, spot problems earlier, and integrate health into the social fabric of places.
In addition, we have also launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission will make clear recommendations to define and build an adult social care system that will meet the current and future needs of our population.
Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
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 unpaid caring responsibilities on carers’ mental health.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department invests in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR-funded research suggests that high intensity unpaid care, as measured by time spent caring per week, is associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing a range of poorer outcomes, including worse mental health, compared to people who do not provide unpaid care. The severity of these outcomes differs based on factors such as age, gender, and ethnicity.
Local authorities have duties to support people caring for their family and friends. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country. We are transforming mental health services into neighbourhood mental health centres that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, improving assertive outreach and increasing access to evidence based digital interventions. People will also get better access to mental health support and advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week directly through the NHS App, including self-referral for talking therapies, without needing a general practice appointment.
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, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capacity of the NHS to contribute to the provisions for Multi Agency Child Protection Teams in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, introduced in Parliament on 17 December, will protect children at risk of abuse, by stopping vulnerable children from falling through the cracks in services. The bill will place a duty on local safeguarding partners to establish multi-agency child protection teams (MACPTs), aimed at strengthening the multi-agency child protection response to all types of harm. These teams will have a minimum membership, nominated by safeguarding partners, of a social worker, a police officer, a registered health practitioner, and a person with experience of education.
MACPTs have been embedded in 10 local areas through the Families First for Children Pathfinders programme. Based on the learning from these pathfinders, the teams are being rolled out nationally through the Families First Partnership (FFP) programme, launched in April 2025. The FFP programme guide enables flexibility in the composition of MACPTs, which are designed according to local need.
NHS England is supporting and learning from the nine integrated care boards (ICBs) currently working with the Families First for Children Pathfinders programme, which includes MACPTs. The national safeguarding leads are collaborating with the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care to profile how ICBs might implement MACPTs alongside local statutory partners, using Section 75 collaborative funding arrangements in order to optimise the Spending Review budget for the national rollout of the Families First Partnership programme and MACPTs.
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 assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) removing (i) dental therapist and (ii) dental technician roles and (b) other changes to the Skilled Worker visa eligibility list on internationally trained dental professionals seeking registration with the General Dental Council.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Registration with the General Dental Council in the United Kingdom is a separate process from obtaining a Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker visa, although both are required to enable overseas dental professionals to work in the UK.
On 1 July 2025, changes to immigration rules were laid before Parliament which, subject to Parliamentary approval, will come into force from 22 July. Dentists meet the new higher skill level of Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 6 or above, and continue to remain eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa under the immigration changes.
The expanded Immigration Salary List (ISL) and interim Temporary Shortage List (TSL) allow time-limited access, until the end of 2026, to the UK’s immigration system for selected occupations of skill level RQF 3 to 5, with restrictions on bringing dependants. The evidence considered by the independent Migration Advisory Committee for the ISL and by the Department for Business and Trade for the TSL did not support including dental technicians, dental nurses, dental hygienists, or dental therapists on either list. Therefore, these occupations will no longer be eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa or Skilled Worker visa from 22 July.
A transition period applies for those already in the UK, where skilled workers can continue to be sponsored in RQF level 3 to 5 occupations if they are already in the route, meaning they have a visa or have a Certificate of Sponsorship issued, before 22 July, even where an occupation is not on the ISL or the TSL, providing they continue to meet all other requirements of the route.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of newly qualified GPs recruited were trained in the UK since October 2024.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold the requested information as workforce and recruitment decisions are made locally by practices and primary care networks. As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is up to general practices to determine how they run their operations.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan we published on 3 July, we will work across Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training. We will also prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training.