theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 42350 on General Practitioners: Employers' Contributions, how much and what proportion of the £22.6 billion will be allocated to (a) frontline health services, (b) primary care and (c) other services. \p Karin Smyth: The £22.6 billion funding increase announced in the 2024 Autumn Budget provided an above inflation increase for all health spending, with an average growth of 3.4% across 2024/25 and 2025/26.

The funding is not ringfenced and becomes part of the overall Department’s budget. It is therefore not possible to easily track how it has been deployed in a way that is distinct to how the overall budget is allocated. In primary care, we’ve made recent announcements to uplift the general practice and community pharmacy contracts, and on front line services we’ve provided an additional £1.8 billion in 2024/25 for elective care, which then rolls forward into 2025/26, which has helped the National Health Service to deliver two million additional operations, scans, and appointments in our first year of the Government.

The £22.6 billion does not include the additional funding that HM Treasury is providing to departments for employer National Insurance contributions.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional funding is provided to Integrated Care Boards to manage seasonal changes in population in West Dorset constituency. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England is responsible for funding allocations to integrated care boards (ICBs). This process is independent of the Government, and NHS England takes advice on the underlying formula from the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation.

ICBs then decide how that money is spent within the local integrated care system, and are responsible for planning service provision in their local area. In doing so, ICBs should consider how local funding can be deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.

The initial population data used in setting resource allocations is the 12-month average of general practice registrations. This captures seasonal patterns, such as areas with high numbers of students or seasonal workers, better than using the population at a specific time would.
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Dan Tomlinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle regional disparities in the (a) distribution and (b) availability of essential medications. \p Karin Smyth: Medicine supply chains are complex, global, and highly regulated, and there are a number of reasons why supply can be disrupted, many of which are not specific to the United Kingdom and outside of Government control, including manufacturing difficulties, access to raw materials, sudden demand spikes or distribution issues, and regulatory issues. We have drawn on up-to-date intelligence and data on the root causes of medicine supply issues, with manufacturing problems being the most dominant root cause.

The resilience of UK supply chains is a key priority, and we are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues and avoid shortages. The Department, working closely with NHS England, is taking forward a range of actions to improve our ability to mitigate and manage shortages and to strengthen our resilience. As part of that work, we continue to engage with industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and other colleagues across the supply chain as we progress work to co-design and deliver solutions. We have plans underway to increase the awareness of our work.

The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand.
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Peter Prinsley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service on the revision of sanctions banding for sexual misconduct cases. \p Karin Smyth: The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) is a statutory committee of the General Medical Council (GMC), which is the independent regulator of all medical doctors, anaesthesia associates, and physician associates practising in the United Kingdom. The MPTS operates separately from the investigatory role of the GMC to make impartial decisions about whether doctors are fit to practise medicine. The MPTS is independent of the Government, and is accountable to the GMC and Parliament.

In September 2025, subject to approval from GMC Council, the MPTS will publish a new set of Guidance to MPTS Tribunals, which will replace the current Sanctions Guidance. This updated guidance includes a new decision-making methodology and new sanctions bandings, to improve transparency and support consistent decision making.

The UK's model of regulation for healthcare professionals is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had any recent discussions with the MPTS on the revision of sanctions banding for sexual misconduct cases.
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Jenny Riddell-Carpenter:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle the challenges that medical graduates face in securing positions within medical specialty training programmes. \p Karin Smyth: We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure that patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.

We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether reducing ICB costs by 50 per cent will lead to reductions in front line services. \p Karin Smyth: This change is not about reductions to front line services. We are clarifying the role of the integrated care boards (ICBs), to focus on strategic commissioning. Alongside this, there is a need to move ICBs to the same level of efficiency in their administrative costs. Currently there is significant variation across ICBs in their administrative spending, and it is this variation that is being targeted.
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Peter Prinsley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to publish a roadmap outlining how NHS trust organisations will implement the national sexual misconduct policy framework. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England published a National Sexual Misconduct People Policy Framework in October 2024 and is currently conducting an evaluation of how this is being implemented across integrated care boards and National Health Service trusts. The results of this will inform next steps in terms of further implementation support, which could include a roadmap if needed for NHS trust organisations.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the prescription of weight loss drugs on the NHS without associated prescriptions of exercise and physical activity on muscle mass. \p Ashley Dalton: Weight loss drugs, including semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide, are recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as clinically and cost-effective treatment options on the National Health Service for obesity. The guidance from NICE states that these drugs should be prescribed alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, and that healthcare professionals should arrange information, support, and counselling on additional diet, physical activity, and behavioural strategies when these drugs are prescribed. As such, healthcare professionals in the NHS should not be prescribing weight loss drugs without arranging information and support on physical activity and exercise. The Government has therefore not made an assessment of the potential impact of the prescription of weight loss drugs on the NHS without ‘associated prescriptions’ of exercise and physical activity on muscle mass.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including strokes as a Category 1 ambulance call. \p Karin Smyth: No such assessment has been made. NHS England’s guidance recommends ambulance services increase the clinical assessment of 999 calls, including increasing the proportion of Category 2 calls, which are those calls classified as an “emergency” and which include serious time-sensitive incidents such as strokes. Calls are clinically navigated, validated, and triaged in ambulance control centres to ensure the sickest patients are prioritised for ambulances.

NHS England's Emergency Call Prioritisation Advisory Group determines the appropriate ambulance response for various clinical situations and triage codes, and works in conjunction with the Clinical Coding Review Group, and the National Ambulance Service Medical Director's group, to ensure clinical guidance is up-to-date and effective.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the length of ambulance response times on outcomes for stroke patients. \p Karin Smyth: No such assessment has been made. NHS England’s guidance recommends ambulance services increase the clinical assessment of 999 calls, to ensure the sickest patients are prioritised for ambulances.

The National Stroke Service Model and the National Service Model for an Integrated Community Stroke Service set out an evidence based pathway for joined-up stroke care throughout the patient journey. The service models set out that high quality stroke care should include fast emergency response and better-informed ambulance service 999 calls, to reduce mortality and disability.
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Mark Pritchard:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will support Integrated Care Boards to offer community ear wax removal services. \p Karin Smyth: Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission cost-effective healthcare to meet the needs of their local populations. This includes the arrangement of services for ear wax removal. When ICBs exercise their functions, including commissioning healthcare services such as ear wax removal, they have a duty to reduce inequalities between persons with respect to their ability to access health services, and to reduce inequalities between patients with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of health services.

Guidance for general practitioners (GPs) on ear wax removal is provided by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by the NICE due to the risks associated with it, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection, so GPs will often recommend home treatment remedies to alleviate ear wax build-up.

However, in line with the NICE’s guidance, a person may require ear wax removal treatment if the build-up of earwax is linked with hearing loss. A GP could then consider referring the patient into audiology services, which ICBs are responsible for commissioning.
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Aphra Brandreth:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that variations in local NHS (a) capacity and (b) resourcing of (i) Early Access Programmes and (ii) the availability of tofersen support the reduction of health inequalities. \p Karin Smyth: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has received the application for tofersen and is currently reviewing it rapidly for quality, safety, and efficacy, for use in the United Kingdom.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources.

The NICE has selected tofersen for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis caused by SOD1 gene mutations as a topic for guidance development through its Highly Specialised Technology (HST) programme. The HST programme appraises medicines for the treatment of very rare, and often very severe diseases, and evaluates whether they can be considered a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources.

Companies may put in place Early Access Programmes (EAPs) to allow early access to new medicines that do not yet have a marketing authorisation. Participation in EAPs is decided at an individual NHS trust level, and under these programmes, the cost of the drug is free to both the patients taking part in it, and to the NHS, although NHS trusts must still cover the administration costs and provide clinical resources to deliver the EAP.
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John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with steps NICE on ensuring greater (a) clarity and (b) transparency in relation to how carer quality of life is considered within its medicines appraisal framework. \p Karin Smyth: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) technology appraisal process allows its independent committees to take all health-related costs and benefits, including health-related quality-of-life for carers, and impacts on personal social services, into account. The NICE’s methods are set out in its published health technology evaluations manual, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/process/pmg36

Evaluations should consider all health effects for patients, and, when relevant, carers. When presenting health effects for carers, evidence should show when a condition is associated with a substantial effect on a carer’s health-related quality of life, and how the technology affects carers. This applies for all therapies, including therapies for rare diseases. NICE appraisals specifically consider health-related quality of life, for both patients and carers, rather than quality of life as a whole.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of emergency service capacity in tourist areas during summer months. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England is responsible for funding allocations to integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs then decide how that money is spent within the local integrated care system, and are responsible for planning service provision in their local area. In doing so, ICBs, including the NHS Dorset ICB, which is responsible for services in West Dorset, should consider how best to use their funding to meet patient demand, including expected seasonal variation. ICB allocations for 2025/26 were published on 30 January 2025, and are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/allocation-of-resources-2025-26/

The National Health Service’s operational pressures escalation levels (OPEL) framework provides a standardised approach to support an effective, integrated, and coordinated response to acute trust operational pressures. This includes actions locally, regionally, and nationally that support the depressurising of services and ensure patient safety. Further information about the OPEL framework is published by NHS England at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/integrated-opel-framework-2024-to-2026/
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Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which bodies are responsible for (a) monitoring (i) shortages and (ii) unavailability of NHS prescription medicines, (b) overseeing the manufacturing locations of brands licensed for use in the UK and (c) assessing potential supply risks where multiple brands are produced by the same third-party manufacturer. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has overall policy, strategic, and operational responsibility for ensuring the continuity of the supply of medicines to the National Health Service in England. The Department works closely with NHS England, which has delegated responsibility for managing the continuity of supply for medicines procured on Medicines Procurement and Supply Chain Team frameworks. Manufacturers have a legal requirement to inform the Department of any supply issues. We work closely with industry, the NHS, manufacturers, and other partners across the supply chain to make sure patients across the United Kingdom can access the medicines they need.

The supply of medicines, including procurement, storage, allocation, and distribution is a devolved matter. However, we regularly engage with the devolved administrations to discuss potential supply issues.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regulates medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion in the UK. The Home Office issues controlled drug licences for companies that possess, manufacture, produce, or supply controlled drugs in England, Wales, or Scotland, and Department of Health (Northern Ireland) for Northern Ireland.
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Peter Prinsley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure trauma-informed education and training for all staff involved in fitness-to-practice cases within the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service. \p Karin Smyth: The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) is a statutory committee of the General Medical Council (GMC), the independent regulator of all medical doctors, anaesthesia associates and physician associates practising in the United Kingdom. The MPTS operates separately from the investigatory role of the GMC to make impartial decisions about whether doctors are fit to practise medicine. The MPTS is independent of Government, accountable to the GMC and Parliament.

The appointment, training and appraisal of tribunal members is undertaken by the MPTS to ensure independence of tribunal decision making. All tribunal members are required to take part in annual training. In 2024, this included decision making in sexual misconduct cases, supported by case studies, encompassing inappropriate sexual behaviours, sexual motivation and sexual harassment, rape myths and assessing demeanour.

The UK's model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from government. My Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not taken any steps to ensure trauma-informed education and training for all staff involved in fitness-to-practice cases within the MPTS.
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Peter Prinsley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with professional regulators to ensure consistent management of sexual misconduct cases. \p Karin Smyth: The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) oversees the bodies which regulate health and care professionals in the United Kingdom. As with all UK healthcare professional regulators, the PSA is independent of Government, and directly accountable to Parliament. As the oversight body for the UK healthcare regulators, it annually reviews each professional regulators’ performance and publishes its findings.

Since 2006, the PSA has published guidance for healthcare regulators, employers and patients on tackling sexual misconduct amongst healthcare professionals as part of the ‘Clear Sexual Boundaries’ project.

The recommendations in the reports have been used by all the statutory healthcare regulators as a basis for reviewing and aligning their own guidance to registrants on standards of professional behaviour. In addition, Fitness to Practise Committees consider the guidance when making decisions on sanctions in cases involving sexual misconduct by registrants to ensure they are proportionate and equitable across professions. Regulators have also committed to working with registrants, employers, education providers and other stakeholders to develop more effective ways to prevent sexual misconduct by registrants and to improve the detection of perpetrators of sexual misconduct.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not had any recent discussions with professional regulators to ensure consistent management of sexual misconduct cases.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the provision of elective care in Milton Keynes. \p Karin Smyth: As of March 2025, performance against the 18-week standard stood at 59.8% nationally. For Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, it stood at 47.79%.

The Government has committed to achieving the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. In January 2025, the Government published the Elective Reform Plan, which sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to this standard.

Milton Keynes University Hospital has received additional regional and national support from NHS England across electives. This has included site visits and funding to support additional capacity. The Lloyds Court Community Diagnostic Centre, which started activity from its final site in October 2024, has significantly increased elective and cancer diagnostic capacity. NHS England is working closely with Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board to develop an appropriate elective hub solution for the system.

Milton Keynes University Hospital has also been confirmed as a Wave 1 scheme of the New Hospital Programme, with construction expected to start in 2027/2028. This will provide significant additional elective capacity to cope with the growing needs of residents.

Milton Keynes University Hospital is focusing on all areas of efficiency to ensure that it makes the most of its facilities and continues to achieve progress on reducing waiting lists, including a focus on outpatient transformation, Getting It Right First Time, implementing Patient Initiated Follow Ups, minimising Did Not Attend and improving theatre productivity.

Other work to improve the provision of elective care includes: referral optimisation, with Advice & Guidance implementation in primary care to improve and maximise pre-hospital pathways; diagnostic pathways, with two community diagnostic centres operational in Milton Keynes, namely Whitehouse Park and Lloyds Court, which will support growing diagnostic demand and improve elective pathways; waiting list validation and clinical prioritisation, ensuring that the waiting list is up to date and accurate, with Milton Keynes University Hospital being in the first wave for this; and patient choice, with provider accreditation process in place across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes giving the opportunity for providers to seek a contract for healthcare services where patient choice applies and thus improves elective provision.
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Peter Prinsley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to establish a national anonymous reporting mechanism for sexual misconduct in the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: We are committed to ensuring that all National Health Service healthcare settings are safe places to work and that everyone working in the NHS feels safe and supported at work. There is a zero-tolerance approach to any instances of sexual misconduct in the NHS workplace. The NHS Sexual Safety Charter has been signed by over 400 organisations across the health system to date and requires signatories to ensure appropriate reporting mechanisms are in place, including anonymous reporting. This has been strengthened by the National People Policy Framework on Sexual Misconduct and further evaluation work is ongoing to ensure consistent implementation across all integrated care boards and NHS trusts.
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Alex Brewer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle medicine shortages in (a) North East Hampshire constituency and (b) other rural areas for (i) Parkinson's, (ii) epilepsy and (iii) other chronic conditions. \p Karin Smyth: The Department is working with industry to help resolve intermittent supply issues with some epilepsy and Parkinson’s Disease medications. As a result of ongoing activity and intensive work, including directing suppliers to expedite deliveries, most issues have been resolved.

We are currently aware of an ongoing supply issue with all strengths of topiramate tablets, used to manage epilepsy, from one manufacturer. This supply issue is expected to resolve by the end of August 2025. Alternative suppliers have sufficient supply to support patients. We have issued management guidance to the National Health Service.

We are also aware of a shortage of phenobarbital 15 milligram tablets and phenobarbital 15 milligram/5 millilitre elixir from two different manufacturers; these are also used to manage epilepsy. Resupply dates are yet to be confirmed for phenobarbital 15 milligram tablets, and the elixir issue is expected to resolve by late June 2025. Management guidance has been issued to the NHS for both formulations. In both cases, alternative suppliers are in stock with sufficient supply to support patients.

The Department is aware of supply constraints with amantadine 100 milligram capsules used in the management of Parkinson’s Disease, however stocks remain available from alternative suppliers to cover demand. The Department have also been notified of a discontinuation of Apomorphine (APO-go PFS) 50 milligram/10 millilitre pre-filled syringes from April 2025. Alternative formulations of apomorphine remain available for patients and management guidance has been issued to the NHS.

The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within North East Hampshire and other rural areas is not held centrally.
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Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a seven-day Community Diagnostic Centre at St Mark's Hospital in Maidenhead. \p Karin Smyth: Slough Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) is currently delivering temporary activity at St Mark’s Hospital in Maidenhead, and has done so since January 2024, in addition to activity at the permanent site at Upton Community Hospital, whilst the new facility is being completed. Once the new facility at Upton Community Hospital is completed later in 2025, all diagnostic activity will move to Upton Community Hospital, where it is expected that Slough CDC will be open 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Elective Reform Plan, published on 6 January 2025, sets out that we will increase the number of CDCs offering services 12 hours a day, seven days a week, as well as delivering additional CDC capacity in 2025/26 by expanding a number of existing CDCs and building up to five new ones.

NHS England is working with local National Health Service systems to identify the most appropriate locations for investments, including new CDCs. A key factor they will consider is that new CDCs are positioned in a location which addresses local need and will address health inequalities. Details will be set out in due course.
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Peter Prinsley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to mandate (a) NHS trust organisations, (b) health boards and (c) professional regulators to collect and publish annual data on sexual misconduct cases. \p Karin Smyth: We are committed to ensuring that all National Health Service healthcare settings are safe places to work and everyone working in the NHS feels safe at work. There is a zero-tolerance approach to any instances of sexual misconduct in the NHS workplace.

NHS England is currently reviewing sexual misconduct data as part of a wider review of Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (DASV) data to promote better collection of annual data on sexual misconduct cases. Better collection of data will support and strengthen the zero-tolerance approach. NHS England is currently reviewing staff sexual misconduct workforce data as part of wider DASV data improvement work.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a national roll out of the category 2 segmentation pilots run by (a) London Ambulance Service and (b) West Midlands Ambulance Service to prioritise the most urgent calls. \p Karin Smyth: No such assessment has been made. NHS England guidance recommends ambulance services increase the clinical assessment of 999 calls, to ensure the sickest patients are prioritised for ambulances and patients that do not need a face-to-face response are transferred to services more appropriate to their needs.

The NHS England 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance identified reducing avoidable ambulance dispatches and conveyances and reducing hospital handover delays as key improvement areas, with the expectation that ambulance services increase the proportion of Category 2 calls that are clinically navigated, validated and triaged in ambulance control centres.
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Kevin McKenna:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the timely approval of high-tariff drugs for use in (a) specialised commissioning and (b) repurposed treatments. \p Karin Smyth: To market a medicine in the United Kingdom, a company must secure a marketing authorisation or ‘licence’ from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. Newly-licensed medicines, including licence extensions for existing medicines, are appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) which is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service in England on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE aims wherever possible to issue guidance on new medicines close to the time of licensing. The NHS in England is legally required to fund drugs recommended by NICE, usually within three months of final guidance.

NHS England may also develop a national clinical commissioning policy to confirm whether a specific treatment which has not been appraised by NICE should be routinely available to eligible patients in the NHS in England. A policy can only be developed if the medicine is used within prescribed specialised services, namely services for which NHS England is the accountable commissioner. NHS England develops clinical commissioning policies in line with published methods and eligibility criteria. National clinical policies are based on the available research evidence and may be subject to a process of funding prioritisation, depending on the cost of the treatment concerned. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/methods-national-clinical-policies/
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the reasons are for the higher level of NICE Health Technology Assessments of new blood cancer treatments that have been terminated compared to Health Technology Assessments for other forms of cancer treatment. \p Karin Smyth: In the last 10 years, where the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been able to make a recommendation, 92% of blood cancer treatment recommendations were positive. This is significantly higher than the overall rate for cancer treatments (80%).

NICE has made 97 positive recommendations for blood cancer treatments over the last decade, five times more than in the previous ten years. NICE can only recommend treatments when the evidence shows that they provide benefits for patients and value for money to the taxpayer.

NICE cannot evaluate treatments without information from the companies. If a company withdraws from the evaluation process, the assessment is terminated. For blood cancers, the majority of terminated appraisals were because the company did not provide an evidence submission or the technology was unlikely to be a cost-effective use of National Health Service resources.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the next meeting of the NHS England Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) will take place; and what steps the Government plans to take to fund treatments previously reviewed by CPAG. \p Karin Smyth: The NHS England Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) continues to meet on a monthly basis to consider policy propositions and service specification propositions that are categorised as in year service. The next scheduled meeting was due for 4 June 2025. The further review of treatments previously considered by CPAG that require significant investment will be deferred until such point that recurrent revenue funding can be identified to support new discretionary spend commitments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-06)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Q204 of the oral evidence given by him to the Health and Social Care Committee on 8 April 2025, HC 563, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of an increase in the geographical area of integrated care boards on the adequacy of their relationship with local authorities. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England has asked integrated care boards (ICBs) to act primarily as strategic commissioners of health services and reduce duplication of responsibilities within their structure. NHS England provided additional guidance to ICBs, National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts on 1 April 2025 where ICBs are tasked to develop plans setting out how they will manage their resources to deliver across their priorities. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/working-together-in-2025-26-to-lay-the-foundations-for-reform/

Local authorities are mandated statutory partner members of ICBs and will maintain their important role to deliver integrated health and care service for their local population. Ministers and the Department will work with the transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to ensure ICBs continue to fulfil their future functions effectively within the running costs cap and unlock the benefit of working at scale to deliver better care for their population.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-06 conversation_246

Luke Murphy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review the adequacy of his Department’s oversight of NHS Property Services. \p Karin Smyth: NHS Property Services is a company with all of the share capital owned by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. As a limited company regulated by the Companies Act, it is governed by a board consisting of a majority of non-executive directors, in line with best practise in corporate governance, and this includes a Shareholder Director appointed by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Where the company needs to seek formal shareholder consent under the Articles of Association and its scheme of delegation, appropriate departmental approvals are sought.

NHS Property Services publishes an annual statement of accounts, which sets out their performance against corporate key performance indicators agreed with the Department. The latest published set of accounts, setting out performance for the 2023/24 financial year, is available at the following link:

https://www.property.nhs.uk/news-insights/news/annual-report-202324/

The 2024/25 accounts will be published in due course, which will confirm that the company has achieved 100% of its corporate key performance indicators for that year.

In common with other wholly owned subsidiary companies and Arms Lenth Bodies, the Department holds quarterly accountability and performance reviews with the Chair and Chief Executive of NHS Property Services. As is required for all organisations that are arms-length from Government departments, regular periodic reviews are undertaken to ensure the form, function, and accountability arrangements remain appropriate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-06 conversation_247

Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) nurse and (b) doctor vacancies there are in the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England publishes a compendium of NHS Vacancy Statistics each quarter. The information currently provides four measures of the level of vacancies in the National Health Service, one of which includes the number of medical and registered nursing vacancies reported by NHS trusts to NHS England, which is the most commonly used measure.

Detailed information on the definition of collected data and the available timeseries, along with the measure’s strengths and weaknesses, can be found at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-vacancies-survey

Data for the period to March 2025 was published on 29 May 2025.

Due to the complex nature of how NHS vacancy data is defined and collected, all data sources should be treated with a degree of caution.
wrans/answers2025-06-06 conversation_248
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-06 conversation_248

Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS (a) nurses and (b) doctors are expected to (i) leave and (ii) retire in the next year. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not hold estimates of the number of nurses and doctors expected to leave the National Health Service or retire in the next year.

The Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, to ensure we retain more of our skilled and dedicated staff. NHS England is leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-06 conversation_249

Sadik Al-Hassan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of NHS England’s criterion for eligibility for indication-specific pricing to demonstrate revenue loss on the UK’s international competitiveness in life sciences. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is taking decisive steps to secure the future of life sciences research in the United Kingdom and to ensure we remain internationally competitive. The upcoming Life Sciences Sector Plan sets out a bold vision to strengthen our world-class research and development, attract global investment, and accelerate healthcare innovation.

The National Health Service seeks the best value in its commercial deals for patients and taxpayers. The recent NHS Commercial Framework consultation clarified the circumstances in which indication specific pricing will be considered in England. The framework now provides further guidance relating to the time period over which revenue loss is considered and the components included in its calculation, referencing the potential to include future indications where there is a high degree of confidence of regulatory approval, a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendation, and forecast volumes and prices. This will help companies better understand the circumstances in which indication specific pricing may be available to support patient access to new medicines.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-06 conversation_250

Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support services available to women affected by vaginal mesh implants in (a) Warwickshire and (b) the West Midlands. \p Karin Smyth: There are nine specialist mesh centres across England, ensuring that women in every region with complications of mesh inserted for urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse get the right support. Each mesh centre is led by a multi-disciplinary team to ensure patients get access to the specialist care and treatment that they need, including pain management and psychological support. The mesh centre that serves the West Midlands is located in Nottingham.

NHS England is working with these nine specialist mesh centres to review mesh centre outcomes and patient experience, to ensure they are supporting patients as planned. NHS England has been working with Sling the Mesh and the Rectopexy Mesh Victims and Support Group on this work.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-06 conversation_251

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to improve (a) maternity safety and (b) prevent brain injuries during childbirth. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England is currently delivering a three-year plan for maternity and neonatal services, which brings together recommendations from previous independent inquiries, and sets national measures to make care safer, more personalised and more equitable. Significant improvements have been made through the plan, including the roll out of maternal mental health services, implementation of Version 3 of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle, establishment of 14 maternal medicine networks across England, and Equity and Equality Action Plans being published by all local areas to tackle inequalities for women and babies from ethnic backgrounds.

To prevent brain injuries during childbirth, the Department has invested £7.8 million to develop the Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth programme which will reduce the number of avoidable brain injuries that occur during childbirth. This will be implemented by NHS England and will provide staff with the tools and right training to identify, intervene and manage obstetric emergencies as well as identifying and better identify signs that the baby is showing distress during labour.

Additionally, the Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations (MNSI) Programme investigates certain cases of potential severe brain injury that occur in the first seven days of life. MNSI investigations seek to improve maternity safety and reduce the prevalence of adverse outcomes through providing learning to the health system via reports at a local, regional and national level.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-06 conversation_252

Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all Integrated Care Boards offer (a) three full cycles of IVF to women under 40 who have not conceived after two years of regular unprotected intercourse or 12 cycles of artificial insemination and (b) one full cycle of IVF to women aged 40 to 42 who meet the same criteria. \p Karin Smyth: In the light of broader pressures on the National Health Service and on-going changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently reviewing their guidelines, Fertility problems: assessment and treatment, which will be the clinical standards for the future NHS offer.

The Department is also considering how best to support integrated care boards to improve their local offer.