theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure improved service from the Child Maintenance Service. \p Andrew Western: As more customers apply to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) the demand for our service is increasing. To allow us to meet this demand and provide an efficient service we continuously look at the resources we have and where we should focus our efforts to get the greatest value for money and deliver the best service to our customers.

We review our overall resource supply regularly and take appropriate steps to ensure that staffing levels meet current demands. We have an ongoing recruitment campaign for 2025 which will ensure CMS is resourced to meet current and future forecasted demand.

Through extensive modernisation to both telephony and digital channels, and by promoting self-service online, the CMS are ensuring customers have greater choice of how and when they contact us. Our service improvements allow customers to use the most appropriate and efficient contact method to quickly resolve their queries and reduce demand on our services.

Improvements to our digital service allow us to process simple actions automatically, speeding up the time taken to make a change. Through efficient call routing, we have freed up resources to deliver a more responsive service and allow caseworkers more time to better assist customers who need to reach out to us via telephone. We have improved all forms of communication, including greater use of SMS and email as well as improving letter content. Furthermore, we have taken timely action to further train, support and redeploy resource within CMS to where it is needed most.

The CMS continually reviews the service it provides by regularly gathering feedback from customers. The Customer Experience Survey is a way in which the Department interacts with customers to understand their experience. Through regular insight used to inform ways to improve our service and the ongoing review of resources, the CMS strives to ensure we have the capability to deliver the best service which is accessible to all parents within our growing caseload.
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Wendy Chamberlain:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of applications for Carer's Allowance received in each month since 1 November 2025 were processed in (a) under 20, (b) 21 to 40, (c) 41 to 50, (d) 51 to 60, (e) 61 to 70, (f) 71 to 80, (g) 81 to 90, (h) 91 to 100, (i) 101 to 110, (j) 111 to 120, and (k) 121 or more days. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The number of Carer’s Allowance new claim applications cleared in each month, starting November 2023, is shown below in Table 1 below. This is based upon weekly data, starting week commencing 30th October 2023 (see ‘Notes to Table 1’ for more information).

For all other questions, the information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Table 1: Number of Carer’s Allowance new claim applications cleared, by month, November 2023 to April 2025.

Month

Number of Carer’s Allowance New Claim Applications Cleared

Nov-23

36,300

Dec-23

21,800

Jan-24

33,800

Feb-24

29,700

Mar-24

28,700

Apr-24

25,700

May-24

37,400

Jun-24

30,400

Jul-24

35,600

Aug-24

25,600

Sep-24

28,200

Oct-24

35,500

Nov-24

29,900

Dec-24

25,200

Jan-25

32,400

Feb-25

26,200

Mar-25

26,000

Apr-25

33,700

Source: DWP Management Information

Notes to Table 1:
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in the cost of living on disabled people with complex needs. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We know disabled people face extra costs every day and this has been exacerbated by the increased cost of living. The Disability Unit has worked to understand and assess the full impact of the cost of living on disabled people, across a range of sectors, including energy.

In order to understand more about the areas of extra costs faced by disabled people, DWP is undertaking a new survey of Personal Independence Payment customers.
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Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether people on legacy Employment and Support Allowance receive the same inflation increase as people on other benefits. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is a single benefit with two strands, contribution-based ESA, ESA C (which was rebadged New Style ESA (NS ESA)), and income-related ESA (ESA IR).

Legacy ESA is made up of a contributory (ESA C) and income-related strand (ESA IR).

​New claims to legacy ESA (i.e. ESA C and ESA IR) are no longer available. Only new claims to NS ESA can be made.

The Secretary of State has an annual Statutory duty to conduct a review of benefits and State pension rates to determine whether they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices and/or earnings. The review will take place in the Autumn as is the convention.

The Pathways to Work Green Paper included proposals for the future rates of Employment and Support Allowance.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support people with motor neurone disease in Fylde constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning most services for people with long-term conditions, including motor neurone disease (MND) services. ICBs are allocated funding by NHS England to meet local need and priorities, and improve outcomes. The NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB oversees healthcare services in the region, including in the Fylde area. NHS England continues to set national standards, service specifications, and clinical access policies, which ICBs are expected to apply.

At the national level, there are several initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with MND, including those patients in the Fylde constituency. These initiatives include the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit. NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme, which has developed a new model of integrated care to support ICBs to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including those with MND.

NHS England commissions the specialised elements of MND care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. Within these specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure that patients can access a range of health professionals and specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.

Government responsibility for delivering MND research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation. Government funders are continuing to invest into MND research, for example: investing £12.5 million to support the best discovery science in MND at the UK Dementia Research Institute; £6 million of Government funding for the Motor Neurone Disease Translational Accelerator, which is seeking to speed up the development of treatments for MND; and £8 million investment into EXPERTS-ALS, which screens for drugs that have the potential to be successful in clinical trials for people with MND.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Estates Safety Fund: 2025 to 2026, updated on 30 May 2025, whether the site for the funding allocated to the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is correct. \p Karin Smyth: The published list for the Estates Safety Fund has been updated to reflect the correct allocations for the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board (ICB). Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estates-safety-fund-2025-to-2026

We apologise for the confusion caused and thank you for drawing this error to our attention.

The following table shows the value of the estate infrastructure work, along with the site location and a short description of the work, for the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB:

Region

ICB

Trust

Value

Site

Description of works

Midlands

Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin

Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust

£500,000

Bridgnorth Community Hospital, Whitchurch Community Hospital

Improvements to electrical systems and ventilation systems. Nurse call system replacement. Lift upgrade or replacement.

Midlands

Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

£400,000

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital

Improvements to ventilation systems.

Midlands

Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust

£6,797,000

The Princess Royal Hospital, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital

Improvements to electrical systems and energy systems. Lift upgrade or replacement. Nurse call system replacement.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's timetable is for publishing the 10-Year Health Plan. \p Karin Smyth: The 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service will make it fit for the future. It will describe a shared vision for the health and care system in 2035, drawing directly from the extensive engagement we have undertaken with the public, patients and staff. We are in the final stages of working on the plan and will publish it in summer 2025.
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Christine Jardine:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland Ltd (Appellant) v The Scottish Ministers (Respondent) [2025] UKSC 16 on transgender people accessing NHS services. \p Karin Smyth: The National Health Service provides a comprehensive service, available to all patients including transgender patients. This principle is established as part of the NHS Constitution and the Supreme Court ruling does not impact this commitment.

We are clear that all patients should feel comfortable and confident to access the services they need. Single-sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by the Government, and trusts should follow the clarity the recent Supreme Court ruling in the For Women Scotland case provides.

The NHS is currently reviewing its ‘Delivering same-sex accommodation’ guidance. Ministers have been clear that this needs to be done as soon as possible and we will be working closely with the NHS to ensure we provide NHS organisations with the guidance they need.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department provides unconscious bias training; and whether his Department plans to provide unconscious bias training to staff from NHS England when that organisation is abolished. \p Karin Smyth: The Department aligns itself to the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion approach to learning and to the use of evidence led interventions. The Department does not provide unconscious bias training to its staff, and there are no current plans to provide unconscious bias training for NHS England staff.
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Layla Moran:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to primary care networks of implementing the Equality and Human Rights Commission proposed code of practice for services, public functions and associations, published on 20 May 2025. \p Karin Smyth: To date, no assessment has been made. The Supreme Court’s ruling about the meaning of ‘sex’ in the Equality Acy 2010 case has provided much needed confidence and clarity to service providers.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is currently consulting on the text for an updated statutory code of practice, which will close on 30 June 2025. We will consider any further implications following the outcome.
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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the APPG for Less Survivable Cancer's report entitled Inquiry into earlier detection and faster diagnosis published in June 2025, what steps he is taking to ensure GPs identify less survivable cancers. \p Ashley Dalton: It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including rare and less common cancers, earlier, in order to improve outcomes, including survival rates.

We are streamlining referral routes and increasing the availability of diagnostic capacity through the roll-out of more community diagnostic centres. Additionally, we are streamlining referral routes through the implementation of a non-specific symptom pathway, for patients who present with vague and non-site-specific symptoms which do not clearly align to a tumour type.

We are also investing an additional £889 million in general practices (GPs) to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.

The National Cancer Plan, which will complement the 10-Year Health Plan and support delivery of the Government’s Health Mission, will set out further actions to improve early diagnosis, including GP referral for suspected cancer. The plan will also consider how we can better identify and monitor people at increased risk of developing cancer.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an estimate of the prevalence of long covid in adults in (a) England and (b) Lancashire. \p Ashley Dalton: The most recent data from the Winter COVID-19 Infection Study, a joint study carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the UK Health Security Agency, shows that, for the period 6 February 2024 to 7 March 2024, an estimated two million people, or 3.3% of the population, in private households in England and Scotland, self-reported experiencing long COVID symptoms more than four weeks after a COVID-19 infection. The following table shows a breakdown of this figure by age group:

Age group

Estimate

Three to 17 years old

111,816

18 to 34 years old

406,538

35 to 44 years old

294,099

45 to 54 years old

397,802

55 to 64 years old

389,977

65 to 74 years old

271,374

75 years old and over

113,467

While no estimate has been made specifically for Lancashire, the same dataset from the ONS estimated 270,939 people of all ages self-reporting experiencing long COVID symptoms in the North West of England region in that same time period.
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David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to NHS England awarding contracts for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) services to three of six planned regional centres, if she will undertake a review of NHS England's recompression service contract; if she will take steps to ensure equitable geographic access to hyperbaric chambers across the UK; and if she will make it her policy to include (a) diver safety organisations and (b) medical experts in future consultations on HBOT services. \p Karin Smyth: We are committed to ensuring equitably accessible, high-quality services, for any patient who requires Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. NHS England set out their assessment of service requirements in their commissioning intentions during the public consultation which took place in September 2024. The reconfiguration of services ensures service provision which meets optimal time to treatment guidelines, in which providers must be located no more than four hours, based on 200 miles radial distance, from the coast and four hours from the next nearest commissioned provider. More information on the consultation is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/reviewing-hyperbaric-oxygen-services-consultation-guide/

We actively encourage individuals and organisations to register as stakeholders to ensure a full range of views are included in any service developments. Stakeholders can register their interest in services commissioned by NHS England on their website, which includes a special interest group for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. The website is available at the following link:

https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/application/crg-stakeholder-reg-april-2019/

Any individuals or organisations who sign up are kept informed when NHS England engages on potential changes to the way that these services are commissioned. NHS England also encourages stakeholders to cascade invitations to provide feedback across their networks.

NHS England consulted with a range of stakeholders in the update of the service specification in line with the published Full Methods Process which requires clinically led design, full public consultation and targeted stakeholder engagement. The methods process is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/methods-national-service-specifications/

The engagement report for this service includes the range of stakeholders who provided feedback on the specification and the service model, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy-engagement-report-November-2024.pdf
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Melanie Ward:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of a supply shortage of Aimovig on people who experience migraines. \p Karin Smyth: The Department is aware of a recent short term supply issue with one strength of Aimovig. We worked with NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and the devolved administrations to expedite resupply and have confirmed that stock is now available for patients to access.

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.

While we can’t always prevent supply issues from occurring, we have a range of well-established processes and tools to manage them when they arise, to mitigate risks to patients. These include close and regular engagement with suppliers, use of alternative strengths or forms of a medicine to allow patients to remain on the same product, expediting regulatory procedures, sourcing unlicensed imports from abroad, adding products to the restricted exports and hoarding list, and use of Serious Shortage Protocols. In addition, we will issue communications to the National Health Service, which provides management advice and information on the issue to healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, so they can advise and support their patients.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with NHS England to ensure (a) patient safety and (b) the maintenance of the NHS’ statutory functions following changes to the level of funding for to integrated care boards. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England has asked integrated care boards (ICBs) to act primarily as strategic commissioners of health and care services and to reduce the duplication of responsibilities within their structure, with the expectation of achieving a reduction in their running cost allowance. NHS England provided additional guidance to ICBs, National Health Service trusts, and NHS foundation trusts in a letter on 1 April 2025. This letter is available at the following link:

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

These changes will form part of a package of measures, including the forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan, that positively impact patient care and safety by driving quality of care, productivity, and innovation in the NHS. ICBs will continue to deliver their statutory responsibilities and will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to ensure this is done effectively and within the running costs allowance, and that the savings will be reinvested in frontline services to deliver better care for patients.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made recent progress on making one-off payments to healthcare staff. \p Karin Smyth: The most recent one-off payments for National Health Service staff in England were agreed as part of the 2023 Agenda for Change pay deal. No future one-off payments are actively being considered.

The Department provided funding to cover the cost of these payments to eligible staff. It is the responsibility of local employing organisations to ensure correct payments are made to eligible staff.
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Patricia Ferguson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure there are adequate clinical fellowships available for junior doctors. \p Karin Smyth: Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff, including clinical fellows, in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.
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Steve Barclay:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to issue further guidance to the NHS organisations on ending the recruitment of dedicated equality, diversity and inclusion staff. \p Karin Smyth: National Health Service organisations should be working to address inequalities, in order to ensure the best possible outcomes for all patients, as well as tackling the abuse and discrimination that some NHS staff face in the workplace. Local NHS leaders are best placed to take an evidence-based approach to how they approach this challenge and resource this work.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the risk assessment for the abolition of NHS England. \p Karin Smyth: The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job. By the end of the process, we estimate that these changes will save hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services.

It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. These ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate.

The Government is committed to transparency and will consider how best to ensure that the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes.
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Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department for Health and Social Care's press release entitled Crack teams get patients off waiting lists at twice the speed, published on 16 March 2025, what estimate he has made of the associated impact on the reduction in waiting lists on employment. \p Karin Smyth: No formal estimate has been made of the associated impact of the reduction in waiting lists on employment. The Further Faster 20 (FF20) programme continues to support trusts within the cohort to reduce their waiting lists, helping people to return to work. An evaluation across all FF20 schemes will be undertaken and made available later this year.

However, we are clear that cutting waiting lists ensures that patients get the treatment they need quicker, supporting them to stay in or return to work wherever possible.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the (a) physical and (b) workforce capacity of radiology departments for (i) CT and (ii) 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 and computed tomography scanners.

As announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, £1.65 billion of capital will be investment in 2025/26 to support NHS performance across secondary and emergency care, including funding for new diagnostic scanners.

The Government is continuing to invest in community diagnostic centres (CDCs) to expand diagnostic capacity, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. 169 CDCs are currently operational, and have delivered nearly 14 million additional diagnostic tests since July 2021, as per latest published data, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/cdc-management-information/

Our Elective Reform Plan committed to building up to five new CDCs, as well as expanding existing CDCs and increasing opening hours.

In addition, the Government is backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital in 2025/26, enabling systems to allocate funding to local priorities such as replacement diagnostic and radiotherapy equipment.

We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again. This will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills, including in radiology departments, to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

As of February 2025, there are 5,859 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of clinical radiology in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. This is 223, or 4.0%, more than in 2024 and 1,244, or 26.9%, more than in 2020. There are also 22,599 FTE therapeutic and diagnostic radiographers working in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England in February 2025. This is 1,140, or 5.3%, more than in 2024 and 4,606, or 25.6%, more than in 2020. Data on the NHS workforce is published by NHS England monthly, and is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics
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Sammy Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many serious, non-fatal, adverse reactions associated with the use of misoprostol have been reported to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in each of the last ten years; and how many fatal adverse reactions associated with the use of misoprostol have been reported to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in that period. \p Karin Smyth: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for ensuring medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion meet applicable standards of safety, quality, and efficacy. The MHRA rigorously assesses the available data, including from the Yellow Card scheme, and seeks advice from their independent advisory committee, the Commission on Human Medicines, where appropriate, to inform regulatory decisions.

It is important to note that a reaction reported to the Yellow Card scheme does not necessarily mean it has been caused by the medicine, only that the reporter had a suspicion it may have. Underlying or concurrent illnesses may be responsible, or the events could be coincidental.

The following table shows the number of Yellow Card reports classified as serious, excluding fatal outcomes, and those with a fatal outcome, received for misoprostol from initial licensing of the medicine up to 13 May 2025:

Year

Serious reports

Reports with a fatal outcome

2015

10

0

2016

11

1

2017

28

2

2018

4

0

2019

7

1

2020

13

0

2021

19

1

2022

19

1

2023

9

2

2024

21

0

2025

8

0

Reports received via the Yellow Card scheme can contain more than one suspect medicine. It should be noted that misoprostol is used in combination with mifepristone, as such 60 of the serious reports and five reports with a fatal outcome include both products as the suspect drug.

Misoprostol is licenced for a variety of indications, including gastroprotection in duodenal and gastric ulcers, termination of pregnancy, and induction of labour. Mifepristone is licenced for termination of pregnancy and induction of labour.

A list of the possible side effects of mifepristone and misoprostol are provided in the product information document for healthcare professionals, the Summary of Product Characteristics, and in the UK Patient Information Leaflet.

A Yellow Card report is considered serious according to two criteria. Firstly, a reported reaction can be considered serious according to our medical dictionary. Secondly, if the original reporter considers the report to be serious, they can select from the six serious criteria available, which are: patient died due to reaction; life threatening; resulted in hospitalisation or prolonged inpatient hospitalisation; congenital abnormality; involved persistent or significant disability or incapacity; or if the reaction was deemed medically significant.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has approved a national redundancy scheme for the 50% integrated care board cost reduction target; and whether he has allocated funds allocated to meet exit costs. \p Karin Smyth: There are significant workforce implications following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the integration of the Department and NHS England, and the associated reduction in size, as well as the subsequent announcement of integrated care board and National Health Service trusts corporate cost reductions. These reforms will deliver a more efficient, leaner centre, and will also free up capacity and help deliver significant savings of hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services to cut waiting times through the Government’s Plan for Change. Through the 2025 Spending Review, we are working with NHS England and HM Treasury on how the costs of restructuring will be met. Those discussions have not yet concluded. NHS England expects to launch a national scheme shortly.
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Sarah Hall:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy that all eligible patients with SOD1-related Motor Neurone Disease can access Tofersen. \p Karin Smyth: 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 NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.

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.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-12 conversation_267

Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to help improve services at West Berkshire Community Hospital. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to shifting the focus of the National Health Service out of hospitals and into the community, and this will be referenced in our forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan. We recognise that delivering high-quality NHS healthcare services requires the right infrastructure in the right places.

The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) and providers have been provisionally allocated £39.3 million this financial year from our Constitutional Standards Recovery Fund to deliver new surgical hubs, diagnostic scanners, and beds to increase capacity for elective and emergency care. In addition, it has been provisionally allocated £2.8 million from our Primary Care Utilisation Fund to modernise and upgrade general practice surgeries, and £37.1 million from our Estates Safety Fund to address critical infrastructure and safety risks.

We are encouraging local NHS trusts and ICBs to explore possible options that could address constitutional standards recovery alongside addressing infrastructure issues, maximising value for money and patient benefits.

Alongside national programme allocations, the system has been provisionally allocated £123.1 million in operational capital funding, including primary care business-as-usual capital, for 2025/26, to be prioritised according to local needs, such as investing in acute and community hospital infrastructure.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-12 conversation_268

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the publication entitled DHSC register of board members' interests, 2024 to 2025, published on 16 January 2025, who the health and social care related clients of A.M. Strategy Ltd are. \p Karin Smyth: Declarations of interest, and any updates to them, are published in the Register of Interests in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, and on the GOV.UK website, in alignment with Government policy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-12 conversation_269

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 56675 on Hinchingbrooke Hospital: Roads, what support the New Hospital Programme team in his Department has given to the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust in relation to that Trust's discussions with Cambridgeshire Constabulary on the potential acquisition of land for a new access road. \p Karin Smyth: Pursuant to our answer for Question 56675 on 6 June 2025, the New Hospital Programme (NHP) team in the Department are not involved in the negotiations to acquire the land with either the trust, the Cambridgeshire Constabulary, or National Highways. However, the NHP team has met with the trust to discuss the progress they have made with the Cambridgeshire Constabulary, and has also met with the National Highways team to discuss the issue. Furthermore, the trust team is supported by the NHP delivery team in NHS England, who are providing technical advice and guidance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-12 conversation_270

Clive Efford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had NHS England on the future (a) oversight and (b) regulation of (i) specialist pharmacies and (ii) aseptic services within hospitals. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has asked NHS England to continue to progress work on the Infusions and Special Medicines Programme, which is tasked with the implementation of Lord Carter’ 2020 report, Transforming Pharmacy Aseptic Services in England. The work included publication of guidance for the quality assurance of aseptic production in National Health Service hospitals and improved audits in unlicensed aseptic medicines preparation units, using digital tools to improve the transparency of the work. These hospital aseptic medicines preparation units make unlicensed ‘special’ medicines, which include ready to administer chemotherapy injections and intravenous nutrition products. The majority of these units are regulated by the Care Quality Commission.

A minority of aseptic medicines preparation services in hospitals are licensed units with a Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Specials Authorisation. These units are regulated by the MHRA.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-12 conversation_271

Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will support plans to relocate additional facilities to West Berkshire Community Hospital to help ease pressures at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. \p Karin Smyth: National Health Service commissioners are responsible for delivery, implementation, and funding decisions for services, rather than the Department. Local health and care organisations are best placed to make decisions on commissioning services for their communities. Decisions about services should be clinically led, following appropriate engagement with the local authority, the local population, and stakeholders.

All service changes should be based on clear evidence that they will deliver better outcomes for patients.

Substantial planned service change is subject to a full public consultation and must meet the Government and NHS England’s ‘tests’ to ensure good decision making.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-12 conversation_272

Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to increase the number of radiologists. \p Karin Smyth: We are committed to training the staff we need, including radiologists, 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 the need is greatest.

To reform the NHS and make it fit for the future, we have launched a 10-Year Health Plan as part of the Government’s five long-term missions. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-12 conversation_273

Yasmin Qureshi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement HCWS652 of 22 May 2025, what assessment he has made of adequacy of the Advertising Standards Authority to perform the role of frontline regulator for the upcoming regulations of HFSS food and drink advertising on TV and online. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to implementing advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online, as part of its ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.

As announced in our Written Ministerial Statement on 22 May, we are working with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to bring forward a statutory instrument (SI) that will provide an explicit exemption for ‘brand advertising’ from the advertising restrictions. This will provide legal clarification on this aspect of the existing policy, which we consulted upon and which was understood and agreed by Parliament during the passage of the Health and Care Bill. We will consult on the draft regulations before they can be finalised and laid before Parliament, which we aim to do as soon as possible. We have amended the coming into force date for the advertising restrictions from 1 October 2025 to 5 January 2026, to allow for this and for the Advertising Standards Authority to publish implementation guidance on how the restrictions will be enforced. However, industry stakeholders have complied with the restrictions voluntarily, as though they will still come into force from 1 October 2025.

The Government appointed Ofcom as the statutory regulator for the advertising restrictions. Ofcom has appointed the Advertising Standards Authority as the frontline regulator to carry out the day-to-day enforcement following consultation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-12 conversation_274

Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) help tackle midwifery shortages and (b) improve recruitment and retention in the NHS in (i) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, (ii) Hertfordshire and (c) England. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to tackling the issues facing the maternity workforce, to make sure we have the right people in the right place at the right time. NHS England is leading a range of initiatives to boost retention of existing staff and to ensure that the National Health Service remains an attractive career choice for new recruits. This includes building a compassionate and inclusive culture, supporting staff wellbeing, and promoting flexible working opportunities.

NHS England has invested in a range of measures, such as unit-based retention leads, a midwifery and nursing retention self-assessment tool, mentoring schemes, and investment in workforce capacity. This has resulted in an increase in retention and a reduction in vacancy, leaver, and turnover rates. As of March 2025, there are a record 25,000 full time equivalent midwives in post, which is over 1,400, or 6.1%, more full-time equivalent midwives in the maternity.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-12 conversation_275

Frank McNally:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's timetable is for responding to the joint report of the Law Commissions of England and Wales and Scotland entitled Building families through surrogacy: a new law, published on 28 March 2023. \p Karin Smyth: The Government does not intend to put forward the Law Commissions’ legislative proposals at this current time, due to the limited time available for introducing new legislation. However, we will publish a Government response as time and capacity allows, and will look to consider this issue in the future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-12 conversation_276

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, updated on 22 April 2024, what plans he has to prioritise measures to (a) make workers feel valued and (b) encourage workers to remain working in the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, to ensure the retention of our hardworking and dedicated staff. We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.

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.