theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce delays in NHS ophthalmology services. \p Karin Smyth: We have committed to ensuring that 92% of all patients, across specialties, wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment (RTT) by March 2029. As a first step, we have delivered a reduction in the waiting list by over 206,000, having now delivered 5.2 million additional appointments, compared to the previous year. This is more than double our pledge of 2 million extra appointments.

In ophthalmology, the current national waiting list stands at 593,646 pathways, with 69.8% of those having waited 18 weeks or less. This marks a 16,630 reduction in the ophthalmology waiting list, and a 3.7 percentage point improvement in patients waiting 18 weeks or less than in June 2024. In June 2024, the ophthalmology waiting list stood at 610,276 pathways, with 66.1% of patients waiting 18 weeks or less.

Ophthalmology is the largest outpatient speciality, with over 9.7 million outpatient attendances across 2024/25. Reforms to outpatient care outlined in our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, are already reducing delays in National Health Service ophthalmology services. We are reducing missed appointments through enhanced two-way communication between hospitals and patients. We are using AI prediction to reduce missed appointments and increasing the use of remote monitoring and patient-initiated follow up where appropriate, to offer patients more flexibility over their care.

We will improve the IT connectivity between primary and secondary eye care services, to improve the referral and triage of patients and enable a more integrated approach to delivering eye care. The 10-Year Health Plan will also support more eye care services being delivered in the community, to help create capacity in secondary care by shifting care away from hospitals.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on the commitment to deliver a doubling of the number of NHS CT and MRI scanners. \p Karin Smyth: We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services, including investment in new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scanners. We are investing in transforming and expanding diagnostic services to speed up waiting times for tests, a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the referral to treatment 18-week standard.

The 2025 Spending Review confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective and urgent care capacity. This includes £600 million in capital funding for diagnostics in 2025/26 to support delivery of the NHS performance standards. This funding will deliver new community diagnostic centres, including new MRI and CT scanners, new scanners in acute hospital settings, as well as replacement of the oldest CT and MRI scanners. Further details and allocations will be set out in due course.

The National Imaging Data Collection is an annual retrospective data collection for NHS imaging services within England. It is published annually, focusing on the number of reported imaging assets, including MRI and CT scanners. The latest publication is correct for March 2024 and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/national-imaging-data-collection/
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost of non-healthcare professionals in his plans for the NHS; and how this compares to the current figure. \p Karin Smyth: No specific assessment has been made of the future cost of non-healthcare professionals. The NHS England 2025/26 Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance though states that integrated care boards and providers should review their workforce and spending to identify savings, including on non-frontline staff, in order to prioritise frontline care. The guidance requires systems to conduct a robust review of establishment growth and return spend on support functions to April 2022 levels. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PRN01625-25-26-priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance-january-2025.pdf

The Department estimates that expenditure on total paybill for substantive staff employed in National Health Service infrastructure support roles was around £14.4 billion in the 2024-25 financial year. For context, the total paybill for NHS staff in 2024-25 was around £86.6 billion, meaning infrastructure support staff account for around 17% of the total paybill which has been essentially unchanged since 2010-11.

NHS infrastructure support roles includes staff working in central functions such as human resources and finance, staff working in property and estates roles and also NHS managers. This paybill figure includes the cost of basic pay, additional earnings, employer national insurance contributions and employer pensions contributions. It covers staff employed by NHS trusts, integrated care boards and also central NHS bodies and support organisations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS doctors banned from practising overseas have been found to be working in UK hospitals in each of the last ten years. \p Karin Smyth: Neither the Department nor NHS England hold this information centrally.

The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulator of all medical doctors, physician assistants, and physician assistants in anaesthesia, still legally known as anaesthesia associates and physician associates, practising in the United Kingdom. This includes those who have trained or worked overseas, and involves ensuring that they meet the necessary standards, skills, and knowledge to join its UK registers. The GMC is independent of the Government, being directly accountable to Parliament, and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. The GMC seeks and routinely receives information from overseas regulators when doctors who have been working in other countries apply to register with it. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has been clear that patient safety is paramount, and that any failings of the regulatory system must be addressed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to ensure that (a) medical and healthcare education and (b) training curricula include guidance on the appropriateness of wearing (i) perfume, (ii) aftershave and (iii) other fragranced products in clinical settings. \p Karin Smyth: NHS organisations set their own policies locally and these generally form part of their unform policy. Although there is no national guidance in place, some organisations do advise in their own guidance that the wearing of perfumed products must be discrete and not overpowering.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his proposals to make Integrated Care Boards strategic commissioners of local health services on (a) the level of fertility services and (b) access to fertility services for LGBTQ+ people. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. In light of broader pressures on the NHS and ongoing changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.

Work continues between the Department and NHS England to better understand the offer around NHS-funded fertility services including the issues for LGBTQ people.

Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their population. We expect ICBs to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.

NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to NHS-funded treatment are still appropriate. A consultation on revised guidelines was published on 10 September, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10263/consultation/html-content-2
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to FOI-1626381, what methods of engagement were used by the Department to engage with individuals from (a) the travelling community and (b) the sex worker community as part of the development of the 10-Year Health Plan. \p Karin Smyth: To develop the 10-Year Health Plan, we had the biggest ever conversation on the future of the National Health Service with over a quarter of a million contributions from the public, staff, and partners including charities and patient groups.

A detailed 10-Year Health Plan engagement report will be published in due course, which will set out the methodology and results of this engagement exercise.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the abolition of NHS England on the Integrated Single Financial Environment programme. \p Karin Smyth: As would be expected with such significant reform, we have been carefully assessing the impact of the organisational change across the range existing systems and processes that includes the continued use of systems such as the Integrated Single Financial Environment (ISFE).

The ISFE is, and will continue to be, critical to the delivery of ongoing National Health Service functions, and we are committed to ensuring that we maximise the value of the investment made in this system in the new integrated organisation.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to (a) improve patient care and (b) reduce waiting times in north Staffordshire. \p Karin Smyth: Tackling waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. Between July 2024 and June 2025, we delivered 5.2 million additional appointments, compared to the previous year, which is more than double our pledge of two million. This marks a vital first step in delivering the constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including those in north Staffordshire, wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029.

North Staffordshire is part of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB). As of August 2025, the latest published data, the total waiting list in this ICB stood at 139,133, 63.3% of which were waiting within 18 weeks. This is an improvement from 57.2% in August 2024 and is above the August 2025 national average of 61%.

The Government is committed not only to ensuring that people are seen on time but also to ensuring that they have the best possible experience when using NHS England’s services. Empowering patients with greater choice and control is central to this effort.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out wide ranging reforms to improve patients’ access to and experience of care, from reducing unnecessary appointments to faster and more local diagnostics.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out a transformed vision for planned care by 2035, where the majority of interactions no longer take place in a hospital building, instead happening virtually, online, or via neighbourhood services. Planned care will be more efficient, timely, and effective, and will put control in the hands of patients.
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Kerry McCarthy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on the adequacy of the information available on the NHS website on cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy. \p Ashley Dalton: There are over 7,000 rare diseases often needing highly specialised input, and so the National Health Service’s website is not always the most appropriate platform to disseminate such information. Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with conditions such as cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy. Information to support healthcare professions with the diagnosis and care of this condition is provided in the NHS England Genomics Education Programme’s Knowledge Hub.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish an impact assessment for the NHS Devon Integrated Care Board’s proposed 2025–26 financial plan that includes information on the services that may be (a) restructured and (b) reduced to meet targets. \p Karin Smyth: NHS Devon’s 2025/26 financial plan is being developed in line with national planning guidance and forms part of the wider five-year Medium Term Financial Plan. The plan is focused on achieving financial sustainability while improving health outcomes and reducing inequalities.

All proposals for service change will be supported by equality and quality impact assessments and appropriate engagement with local stakeholders. NHS Devon is committed to maintaining safe and sustainable services by shifting care closer to home and reducing reliance on acute settings.

Efficiency improvements across the Devon system total approximately £255 million in 2025/26. These measures are designed to improve productivity and value for money, not to reduce essential services.

A summary of the Health and Care Strategy and financial plan will be shared with Members of Parliament and stakeholders, and a briefing for Members of Parliament for Devon will be arranged following publication.
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Darren Paffey:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that increases in the National Living Wage are matched by sustainable funding for local authority social care budgets. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Spending Review 2025 allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.

The Government took the cost pressures facing adult social care, including increases to the National Living Wage, into account as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the 2024 Autumn Budget process.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 7 of the NHS 10 Year Plan, if he will set out the circumstances in which integrated care board boundaries will differ from those of mayoralty authorities. \p Karin Smyth: It remains the Government’s ambition for integrated care boards (ICBs) to be coterminous with one or more strategic authorities wherever feasible, a commitment made in the English devolution white paper and reaffirmed in our 10-Year Health Plan.

Next summer, as local government reform progresses, the Department of Health and Social Care will work closely with NHS England and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to decide any further ICB mergers and boundary changes.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of recent trends in running costs for NHS Devon on (a) the provision of public health services and (b) health outcomes in the region. \p Karin Smyth: Public health responsibilities sit primarily with local authorities and national public health programmes, such as screening, are commissioned by NHS England rather than the integrated care boards (ICBs). Therefore, the running costs within the NHS Devon ICB do not directly affect the provision of public health services.

There are ongoing discussions nationally about the potential future delegation of some public health and screening functions to ICBs, but no decisions have yet been made.

NHS Devon’s new Health and Care Strategy set out a system-wide approach to improving health outcomes and reducing inequalities through prevention, early intervention, and community-based care. This will support better long-term population health across Devon, regardless of ICB running cost trends. The ICB’s meeting papers and minutes discussing the strategy is available at the following link:

https://swpboard.nhs.uk/board-meetings/board-meeting-papers-and-minutes/
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Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to reduce the variation in integrated care board (ICB) funding for children's hospices; and if he will commit to holding ICBs to account for the way in which they (a) commission children's palliative care and (b) comply with their legal duties in this area. \p Stephen Kinnock: Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing National Health Service services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between ICB areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative care and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure that they have the best physical environment for care.

We are also providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. I can also now confirm the continuation of this vital funding for the three years of the next spending review period, 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see circa £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children and young people’s hospices in England each year, via their local ICBs on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.

The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

We will closely monitor the shift towards strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

On ICB accountability, NHS England has a legal duty to annually assess the performance of each ICB in respect of each financial year and publish a summary of its findings. This assessment must assess how well the ICB has discharged its functions.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of national funding allocations to Integrated Care Boards to support the delivery of levels of IVF treatment recommended by NICE. \p Karin Smyth: No assessment has been made. Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their population. We expect ICBs to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Health Building Note 09-03: Neonatal Units, published 20 March 2013, how many and what proportion of neonatal units (a) do and (b) do not meet the standard for parent accommodation. \p Karin Smyth: Not all maternity hospitals are currently able to offer adequate accommodation for families who have experienced a bereavement. This is due to the historic undercapitalisation across the National Health Service, as highlighted by the Darzi Report.

As a first step towards improving our maternity and neonatal estate, we are investing over £100 million through the 2025/26 Estates Safety Fund to address critical safety risks on the maternity estate, enabling better care for mothers and their newborns.

The provision of bereavement suites is included in current estate standards on the design and planning of new maternity units. This is delivering improvements, as our enquiries suggest that current NHS capital programmes progressing maternity new builds include the provision of an appropriate bereavement suite.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled £75 million boost for hospices to transform end-of-life care, published on 20 July 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the revenue implications for hospices of this investment. \p Stephen Kinnock: Hospices do incredible work by supporting people and families when they need it most, and we recognise the incredibly tough pressures they are facing.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations.

Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding from their respective ICBs for providing National Health Services.

The £75 million capital funding boost for hospices was intended to help them to provide the best end of life care to patients and their families in a supportive and dignified physical environment by, for example, funding refurbishments, overhauling IT systems, and improving facilities for patients and visitors. The impact this may have had on revenue has not been assessed.

Additionally, we are providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which, until recently, as known as the Children’s Hospice Grant.

I can also now confirm the continuation of this vital funding for the three years of the next spending review period, 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see circa £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children and young people’s hospices in England each year, via their local ICBs on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce multi-year funding settlements for children’s hospices. \p Stephen Kinnock: Children and young people’s hospices do incredible work to support seriously ill children and their families and loved ones when they need it most, and we recognise the incredibly tough pressures they are facing.

We are providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which, until recently, was known as the Children’s Hospice Grant.

I can also now confirm the continuation of this vital funding for the three years of the next spending review period, 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see circa £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children’s and young people’s hospices in England each year, via their local ICBs on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.

This revenue funding is intended to be spent by hospices to provide high-quality care and support for the children and the families they care for, either in the hospice or in the community, including in children's homes. They can, for example, use this funding for providing respite care for children who have high health needs, by providing physiotherapy or occupational therapy, or by providing 24/7 nursing support for a child at the end of their life.

We are also supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of using different means tests for residential and home-based care on people with modest savings and significant care needs. \p Stephen Kinnock: The current adult social care system is means tested and provides funded support for those with the least financial means. Individuals can approach their local authority for a financial assessment to determine whether they are eligible. While the Department sets the minimum thresholds for this means test, local authorities have the discretion to set higher thresholds if they choose.

Where an individual receives care at home, the value of their home is not considered during this financial assessment.

Where local authorities choose to charge for care, they must follow the Care Act 2014, and must ensure that care charges are both transparent and affordable.

The Government remains committed to reforming adult social care and we have launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The Terms of Reference are sufficiently broad to enable Baroness Casey to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future, including considering the affordability of care costs, if she sees fit.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of IVF age limits on women who delay starting families for (a) educational, (b) career and (c) financial reasons. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues between the Department and NHS England to better understand the offer around NHS-funded fertility services. This work will take time to develop, and the Department is keen to ensure there will be stakeholder engagement during this process, beginning in the new year.

Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their population. We expect ICBs to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.

NICE develops its guidelines independent of the Government, based on the best available clinical evidence. The age limits recommended by NICE are informed by the chance of a live birth following in vitro fertilisation treatment falling with rising female age.

NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to NHS-funded treatment are still appropriate. A consultation on revised guidelines was published on 10 September.
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John Whitby:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the proportion of NHS expenditure allocated to primary care dentistry net of patient charge revenue compared with other areas of NHS primary care in each financial year since 2010/11. \p Stephen Kinnock: Prior to 2023/24, there was no specific dental budget allocation and dentistry formed part of a wider budget including community pharmacy and optometry. Since 2023/24, there has been a specific dental ringfence allocation for integrated care boards. This includes primary, secondary and community dentistry and is set net of patient charges.

The attached table sets out actual spend on different aspects of primary care for 2013/14 onwards, with previous comparable figures not being available as they predate the creation of NHS England.

PQ70172 - Table (docx, 23.5KB)
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of stress on Alzheimer's disease. \p Stephen Kinnock: As highlighted in the Dementia Care Pathway: Full implementation guidance, poorly managed behavioural and psychological symptoms, which accompany dementia, may lead to increased distress, accelerated cognitive decline, inappropriate antipsychotic prescribing, unnecessary use of restraint, and earlier admission to residential care. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/improving-care/nccmh/dementia/nccmh-dementia-care-pathway-full-implementation-guidance.pdf?sfvrsn=cdef189d_8

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines recommend, as initial and ongoing management, offering psychosocial and environmental interventions to reduce distress in people living with dementia.

Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services. We will deliver the first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.
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Shockat Adam:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using existing high street optometry practices to deliver diagnostic services. \p Stephen Kinnock: High street optometrists play a vital role in the early detection of a range of eye conditions. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning primary and secondary eye care services and can commission additional diagnostic services from high street optometrists based on providers and priorities in their areas, for example additional testing to support effective referrals to secondary care.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the trends in the level of wages for general practice nurses. \p Stephen Kinnock: As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is up to general practitioners how they distribute pay and benefits to their staff. Employers have the flexibility to set terms and conditions, for example to aid recruitment and retention, and we anticipate that good employers would set wage rates that reflect the skills and experience of their staff.
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Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the care sector on the adequacy of safeguarding procedures in private care homes that employ staff recruited from overseas. \p Stephen Kinnock: Any form of abuse or neglect is unacceptable, and regulated providers have a key role in safeguarding adults. All staff are subject to employer checks and controls, and employers must satisfy themselves regarding the skills and competence of their staff.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors how well providers are safeguarding service users. As part of their regulatory regime, the CQC checks that care providers have effective systems to help keep adults safe from abuse and neglect.

International workers applying for a Health and Care Visa must submit a criminal record certificate from any country that they have resided in for 12 months or more in the last ten years. Further to this, a Disclosure and Barring Service check must be undertaken.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Peter Prinsley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the NHS Dispensing Fee for dispensing GP practices in the context of recent increases in employers’ National Insurance contributions. \p Stephen Kinnock: General practices (GPs) are valued independent contractors who provide over £13 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with the profession about what services GPs provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract, taking account of the cost of delivering services, including dispensing fees.

Dispensing practices receive a dispensing fee, approximately £2.00 to 2.50 per item, which is intended to cover dispensing costs. This fee is calculated based on the forecasted volumes of prescriptions to be dispensed and the size of the funding envelope, according to a methodology agreed by the Department, the General Practitioners Committee, NHS Employers, and the Welsh Government. An updated methodology was agreed between the British Medical Association and NHS England to address the issue of continuing fluctuation between over and underspend year on year, the alternating pattern of over and under spends, and implemented in October 2023.

We are investing an additional £1.1 billion in GPs to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26, which is the biggest cash increase in over a decade. The 8.9% boost to the GP Contract in 2025/26 is greater than the 5.8% growth to the NHS budget as a whole.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-22 conversation_103

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of palliative care services for people in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire since Rt hon. and hon. Members last considered the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. \p Stephen Kinnock: Irrespective of whether the law changes on assisted dying, we must continue to work towards creating a society where every person who needs it receives high-quality, compassionate palliative care and end of life care.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB), including Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB, must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative care and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

We are committed to shifting more healthcare into the community so that patients and their families receive high-quality, personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative care and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift.

The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-22 conversation_104

Matt Bishop:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department has provided to GP practices operating from newly built premises with (a) building and (b) maintenance issues; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of that support in helping to resolve those issues with landlords. \p Stephen Kinnock: The provision and maintenance of premises is typically the responsibility of GP partners, who are either owner-occupiers or tenants of their surgery buildings. The National Health Service reimburses partners for the recurring costs of operating in the property (rent, notional rent or mortgage cost) and funds services in the GP contract.

GP owner-occupiers are responsible for all maintenance and repair of their property. For GP practices that rent their premises, their lease agreement sets out who is responsible for maintenance. A ‘Full Repairing and Insuring’ (FRI) lease requires the practice to handle all repairs, while a ‘Tenant’s Internal Repairing’ (TIR) lease means the landlord covers external and structural issues.

Commissioners may award improvement grants to GP practices to fund extensions, improvements, and enhanced physical access. This can be up to 100% of a project’s value, subject to discretion and the integrated care board’s available budget, under provisions of the NHS (General Medical Services) Premises Costs Directions 2024.

The £102 million Primary Care Utilisation & Modernisation Fund, announced at Autumn Budget 2024, is upgrading more than a thousand GP surgeries across England by April 2026.

Where facilities are an issue, it is imperative that General Practices work with the local Commissioner. There may be capital or revenue solutions to general practice premises and facilities’ needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-22 conversation_105

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has been made of the potential merits of increasing funding for palliative care services in (a) Surrey Heath constituency and (b) Surrey. \p Stephen Kinnock: Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB), including the Surrey Heartlands ICB, must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

Whilst the majority of palliative care and end of life care services are provided by the National Health Service, we recognise the pressures hospices are facing, which is why we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. The nearest hospice, the Woking and Sam Beare Hospice, received £160,768 in 2024/25 and will receive £481,630 in 2025/26.

We are also providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which, until recently, was known as the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant. The nearest children and young people’s hospice, the Shooting Star Children’s Hospice, received £1,879,000 in 2025/26.

I can also now confirm the continuation of this vital funding for the three years of the next Spending Review period, from 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see approximately £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children and young people’s hospices in England each year, via their local ICBs on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.

The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-22 conversation_106

Shockat Adam:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress his Department has made on the rollout of the new NHS special schools eye care service. \p Stephen Kinnock: NHS England has been supporting the integrated care boards (ICBs) with the roll out of the special schools’ sight testing service. NHS England hosted a series of webinars to talk ICBs through the nationally developed service specifications. Each ICB received a comprehensive information pack outlining the level of interest expressed by both educational settings and service providers.

NHS England has established reporting on ICB progress in commissioning services, and all have indicated that they are either actively commissioning services, preparing for procurement activities, or planning engagement with local schools. Whilst services are being commissioned, the proof of concept contractors continue to provide services across 83 special schools.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-22 conversation_107

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press notice entitled Dental patients to benefit from 700,000 extra urgent appointments, published on 21 February 2025, how many of the extra 700,000 urgent dental care appointments have been delivered (a) in total and (b) by ICB since 1 April 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have asked integrated care boards (ICBs) to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they require. ICBs have been making extra appointments available from April 2025.

Appointments are available across the country, with specific expectations for each region. These appointments are more heavily weighted towards those areas where they are needed the most.

Data on the delivery of these additional urgent dental care appointments will be published in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-22 conversation_108

Seamus Logan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of closure of the social care visa route on the availability of staff in the social care sector. \p Stephen Kinnock: In the technical annex published alongside the Immigration White Paper on 12 May 2025, the Home Office has estimated an annual reduction of approximately 7,000 main visa applicants as a result of ending overseas recruitment for care workers and senior care workers. This is based on their internal management information for entry visas granted covering the period of March 2024 to February 2025. This estimate reflects that there was a drop in visa grants of more than 90% compared with the 12 months ending in March 2024.

The Department for Health and Social Care continues to monitor adult social care workforce capacity, bringing together national data sets from Skills for Care’s monthly tracking data, the Capacity Tracker tool, and intelligence from key sector partners.

As set out in the Immigration White Paper, there will be a transition period until 2028, to be kept under review, where in-country applications, including from other visa routes, will continue to be permitted for care workers and senior care workers, provided individuals are already working in these roles in the adult social care sector. This means, for example, that care providers will continue to be able to recruit those who want to switch from student or graduate visas, who we know have provided a vital role in workforce capacity in recent years. The sector can also continue to employ individuals whose immigration status allows them to work in any sector, for example, those on a dependent visa or working whilst on a student visa.

We recognise the scale of the reform needed to make the adult social care attractive as a career and are determined to ensure that those who work in care are respected as professionals. We are introducing new Fair Pay agreements for adult social care workers, with legislation currently going through Parliament, implementing the first universal career structure for adult social care, and providing £12 million this year for staff to complete training and qualifications. These changes will help attract staff to the sector, providing proper recognition and opportunities for them to build their careers.