theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Sarah Edwards:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure more cancer patients have the opportunity to take part in CAR T-cell therapy clinical trials. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department is committed to maximising the United Kingdom’s potential to lead the world in clinical research, with the aim of ensuring that all patients, including those with cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

The Department-funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including clinical trials examining CAR T-cell therapy.

The NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) are collaborations between world-leading universities and National Health Service organisations, which take cutting-edge cancer research from the laboratory and rapidly translate it into clinical trials in a hospital setting. The University College London Hospitals BRC is revolutionising cancer care with the next-generation of CAR-T cell therapies for patients that deliver powerful remissions with fewer side effects, particularly in the treatment of leukaemia and other solid tumours.

The NIHR also provides an online service called Be Part of Research, which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-22)

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Richard Tice:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Department is taking to (a) improve value for money, (b) prevent profiteering, (c) remove conflicts of interest in referral practices and (d) otherwise improve (i) oversight and (ii) regulation of private companies delivering NHS-funded eye care. \p Stephen Kinnock: All National Health Service patients must receive safe and high-quality care, whether being treated by private providers or directly by the NHS. While the independent sector has a role to play in tackling the waiting list backlog, we will not tolerate any overpriced or sub-par care. We will also not tolerate any distortion of patient choice, and the recently published Partnership Agreement between NHS England and the Independent Healthcare Providers Network commits to ending incentives that can lead to this, supporting equal access and genuine choice for all patients. We are now working together to deliver on this.

Improving value for money is a priority across all NHS pathways, not just in eyecare. This has been emphasised in various documents such as the Provider Selection Regime, the NHS Standard Contract and most importantly the Independent Sector Agreement, published in January 2025.

NHS-funded eye care is funded based on national prices and funded equitably across all providers with no opportunities to gain increased payment; prices are adjusted each year to reflect expected improvements in efficiency and are set to cover costs but not margins.

To prevent profiteering, providers are paid based on national prices, based in turn on the average cost of providing the service and adjusted to reflect the complexity of the procedure and the patient. This ensures that the provider is appropriately reimbursed, and they do not make excess profits by targeting the simplest cases.

NHS England expects all its providers to support patient choice and to act in accordance with the Law, with Good Practice and this is supported by the requirements of the NHS Standard Contract, the NHS Provider License, the General Ophthalmic Services contract and the Law itself. The NHS Standard Contract gives a useful overview of the Provider Selection Regime, which are the regulations the NHS must adhere to when commissioning health care services, including conflict of interest declarations.

Finally, private companies are commissioned and managed by integrated care boards under the terms of the NHS Standard Contract which applies the same standards of oversight and regulation as are applied to NHS providers.
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the release of Adult Social Care Funding Data, following the Information Tribunal order to disclose it in October 2024. \p Stephen Kinnock: My Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular conversations with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about a variety of topics.

To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government has made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant. The Government has provided an increase to core local government spending power in 2025/26 of up to 6.8% in cash terms.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-22)

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Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the provision of dentistry services in Camborne and Redruth constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Camborne and Redruth constituency, this is the Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly ICB. ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly ICB is expected to deliver 10,910 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.

ICBs have started to advertise posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years. As of 10 April 2025, in England, there are 53 dentists in post with a further 44 dentists who have been recruited but are yet to start in post under this scheme. Another 256 posts are currently advertised.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of GP surgeries running above capacity on the delivery of health services. \p Stephen Kinnock: The 2023 GP Patient Survey showed that of the patients who could not get an appointment at their general practice, over one in 10 went to accident and emergency, which has worse outcomes for patients and is more expensive for the taxpayer. To address this, we are seeking to increase capacity and appointment availability in general practice, improving access for patients. For example, we have recruited over 1,500 newly qualified general practitioners through an £82 million investment in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of removing targets in the NHS Operational Planning Guidance for local health systems in England on dementia diagnosis times. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Darzi Investigation found that there were too many targets set for the National Health Service, which made it hard for local systems to prioritise their actions or to be held properly accountable.

This is why we have taken a new approach to NHS Planning Guidance this year, reducing the number of national directives from 32 to 18. We will only turn the NHS around by doing things differently. These are the first steps on our journey for the long-term reform of the NHS.

NHS Planning Guidance is not an exhaustive list of everything the NHS does, and the absence of a target does not mean it is not an area of focus.

We remain committed to increasing dementia diagnosis rates and agree that timely diagnosis is vital to ensure people with dementia can access the treatment and support they need.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average dispensing time for a prescription in the NHS South West for each month between May 2015 and April 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department does not hold data on average dispensing time, and it is not routinely collected. Pharmacies are independent businesses who follow their own individual standard operating procedures in dispensing medicines. How they order, receive, and label medicines will vary according to their business model and will depend on if a medicine is a repeat or an acute prescription.

Pharmacies are expected to maintain a reasonable stock holding to meet their legal obligations to dispense all prescriptions with reasonable promptness, recognising that it is not feasible for a pharmacy to maintain stock of every medicine.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve outcomes for dementia patients in South Suffolk. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to improving dementia care and is empowering local leaders with the autonomy they need to provide the best services to their local community, including for those with dementia.

That is why we have published the D100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for busy system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia. The D100: Pathway Assessment Tool launched in April, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/nccmh/service-design-and-development/dementia-100-pathway-assessment-tool

The 10-Year Health Plan will address the challenges diagnosed by Lord Darzi, and will set the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with a combination of complex health and care needs, including people living with dementia. It will set out how we support and enable health and social care services to work together better to provide joined-up care.

Through our extensive public engagement as part of the 10-Year Health Plan, including a roundtable on dementia, healthy aging, and digital exclusion that I hosted, we will continue to listen to patients’ priorities and will keep focused on what matters most to the public.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2025, to Question 32583, on Independent Commission into Adult Social Care, what is the annual remuneration of Baroness Casey of Blackstock for her role as Chair of the Commission. \p Stephen Kinnock: Baroness Louise Casey has been appointed as a Direct Ministerial Appointment, and in line with Cabinet Office guidance, this appointment will be remunerated. The commission will report on its financial expenditure in due course.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many community pharmacies provide Pharmacy Contraception Services as of May 2025 in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The most recent available data from January 2025 showed that there were 15 community pharmacies providing services in Buckingham and Bletchley. The contraception service is an additional service that contractors can choose to provide. The latest full set of data available shows that claims were submitted by 5,399 pharmacies for delivering this service, including five in Buckingham and Bletchley.
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Mr James Frith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether long-term reform hospice care funding will be included in the NHS 10-year plan. \p Stephen Kinnock: The 10-Year Health Plan will set out how the Government will fix our broken National Health Service. Too many people, towards the end of their lives, are not receiving the support and care they deserve, and we know that waiting times for services are far too long. We are determined to change that, by changing the way services operate, rather than by simply funding more of the same.

Whilst it is too soon to say what will be in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are continuing to support the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding 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.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to publish an impact assessment on proposals to restrict care worker visas. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government has published a technical annex alongside the Immigration White Paper, and it estimates an annual reduction of approximately 7,000 main applicants as a result of ending overseas recruitment for care workers and senior care workers. Further information about the technical annex and the Immigration White Paper is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6821b49bdb6463b14cd8189c/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-technical-annex.pdf

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6821f334ced319d02c906103/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-web-optimised.pdf

This is based on internal management information for entry visas granted covering the period 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, when more than 83,000 entry visas were granted to care workers and senior care workers. The analysis in the technical annex will be refined and included within the relevant impact assessments accompanying the immigration rule changes, as appropriate.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with Baroness Casey on engaging with political parties (a) individually or (b) collectively in relation to the Independent commission into adult social care. \p Stephen Kinnock: The commission has now formally begun. Given the commission is independent, it is only right for Baroness Casey to independently build public and cross-party consensus. This includes choosing how and when the voices of political parties are best brought into the conversation.

Baroness Casey has the autonomy to convene cross-party talks over the course of her work as she sees fit, with political parties invited as participants.
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Mr James Frith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will provide guidance to Integrated Care Boards on the minimum provision of palliative care that should be available for hospices in their area. \p Stephen Kinnock: Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative care and end of life care.

Whilst the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at end of life and their loved ones.

To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. It is included in the statutory guidance that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which can include the hospice services available within the ICB’s catchment area.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of people living with dementia without a medical diagnosis in (a) the South East and (b) Slough. \p Stephen Kinnock: No specific estimate has been made as the information is not held in the format requested. However, NHS England publishes monthly dementia diagnosis data in the primary care dementia data set official statistics. Data for March 2025 showed that the number of patients with a recorded diagnosis of dementia was 83,945 in the South East, and 610 in Slough. The number of people estimated with dementia ranges from 122,500 to 147,000 in the South East, and 900 to 1,200 in Slough.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his oral contribution of 19 May 2025, on what date his Department plans to hold the first meeting of cross-party talks on social care. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government has clearly set out the importance of reaching cross-party consensus on adult social care. Building cross-party consensus is fundamental to the national conversation, and the Prime Minister has tasked Baroness Casey, as Chair of the Independent Commission into adult social care, to facilitate this.

Given the commission is independent, it is only right for Baroness Casey to independently build public and cross-party consensus on how best to meet the current and future needs of the population.

Baroness Casey has the autonomy to convene cross-party talks over the course of her work as she sees fit, with political parties invited as participants.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that Integrated Care Boards are able to support the revenue consequences of primary care estate expansions enabled by capital investment. \p Stephen Kinnock: We recently announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund (PCUMF) to deliver upgrades this financial year to more than a thousand general practice (GP) surgeries across England.

These schemes will create additional clinical space within existing building footprints to enable practices to see more patients, boost productivity, and improve patient care. By working within existing footprints there will be no additional revenue costs associated to the work funded by the PCUMF

This will directly address the issue of staff who cannot work at full capacity due to space limitations and will enable practices to offer more appointments with their existing workforce through better use of space. The Government has already hired more than 1,500 extra GPs and announced an £889 million funding boost, the biggest for the sector in years.

To ensure good management of public money, the schemes that have been selected will of course be subject to final business case approvals and due diligence. Integrated care boards and GP federations will not be able to unilaterally realign the schemes which have already been agreed, however if an individual surgery is not able to proceed, then local leaders will select another priority scheme to utilise the funding.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that GP practices with (a) poor building quality, (b) insufficient capacity and (c) other significant estate issues are allocated funding through future rounds of the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects, such as new facilities, significant upgrades, or other targeted capital investments, to ensure we have world class infrastructure across the entire NHS estate.

We recently announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund, supporting improved use of existing buildings and space, boosting productivity, and enabling delivery of more appointments. Further support for NHS organisations delivering local and national priorities beyond this financial year is being considered as part of the Government’s Spending Review.

However, general practices are not reimbursed for service charges nor additionally funded to undertake maintenance and improvements, and are independent contractors who should fund investment in maintaining their estate by utilising their own funds, borrowing, or through partnerships with third party developers.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to carers of dementia patients in (a) Slough and (b) the South East. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to ensuring that families of people with dementia have the support they need.

Local authorities have duties to support people caring for their family and friends. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how well local authorities in England are delivering their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including their duties related to carers.

The CQC has published their assessments of 17 councils in London and the South East. They will publish the assessment reports for Slough and other local authorities in the South East in due course.
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Esther McVey:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the proportion of government health expenditure that will be spent on mental health in each year of this parliament. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Written Ministerial Statement was published on 27 March 2025. This contained information on Government health expenditure in 2024/25 and 2025/26.

No estimate has been made for the remaining years of Parliament beyond this. However, mental health remains a priority for the Government, and this is backed by our commitment to the Mental Health Investment Standard in 2025/26.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a national strategy for hospice care. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative care and end of life care services, including hospices, will have a big role to play in that shift.

As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we have been carefully considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative care and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and stakeholders. It is too early to say exactly what the 10-Year Health Plan will look like, but we expect palliative care and end of life care to benefit from the plan’s three big shifts.

In February, I met key palliative care and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.
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Maya Ellis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Care Quality Commission on whether the increase in the level of NHS-funded nursing care has increased the quality of care provided in care homes. \p Stephen Kinnock: There have been no discussions between the department and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on NHS-funded nursing care (FNC).

The department is responsible for FNC policy and for setting the FNC rate each year. NHSE and integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the implementation of FNC, including paying the FNC rate direct to care homes with nursing.

The FNC rate for 2025/26 increased by 7.7% from the 2024/25 rate. From the 1 April 2025, this increases the standard weekly rate per eligible individual from £235.88 to £254.06 and from £324.50 to £349.50 for the higher rate payment. FNC contributes to the provision of nursing care by a registered nurse and does not cover the costs of wider non-nursing care or accommodation. The rate increase accounts for the increase in the cost of providing nursing care.

Providers registered with CQC are expected to comply with the fundamental standards under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. CQC monitor and assess services and publish their findings, and can take regulatory and enforcement action if services are not providing people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of funding levels for hospices on the availability of hospice services in rural areas. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. The funding will help hospices to provide the best end of life care to patients and their families in a supportive and dignified physical environment. Funding will help support hospices and deliver much needed improvements, including refurbishments, overhauling IT systems, and improving facilities for patients and visitors.

In February, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format, with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.

We recognise that there are geographical inequalities in access to palliative and end of life care and hospice services, especially for those living in rural or socio-economically deprived areas. We are looking at how best to reduce these. It is our intention to work with sector stakeholders to ensure that everyone has access to the care they need, in the right place, at the right time, at the end of life.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of palliative 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, which outlines areas for consideration when commissioning, which makes reference to improving equity of access and reducing inequalities in outcomes and experiences. This includes the completion of an Equalities and Health Inequalities Impact Assessment and action plan.
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Natasha Irons:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help protect patients who have been sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Mental Health Bill, which has now passed from the House of Lords to the House of Commons, will give patients greater choice, autonomy, enhanced rights, and support, and will ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect throughout treatment.

In January 2025, the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) concluded a series of investigations into mental health inpatient settings. In 2023/24, approximately 51% of patients were detained under the act. The investigations raised important concerns and set out recommendations to improve mental health care, protect patients and the public, and promote a safe working environment for staff. The findings have been published in a series of reports, which are available on the HSSIB’s website.

NHS England has launched its mental health, learning disability, and autism inpatient quality transformation programme to support cultural change and embed a new model of care across all National Health Service-funded mental health inpatient settings. Local health systems have now published their three-year plans for localising and realigning inpatient care in line with this vision.

In addition, the Government is investing £75 million to reduce inappropriate out of area placements for mental health patients, so that they can be supported closer to their communities and in more appropriate settings.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to support hospices to (a) recruit and (b) retain skilled staff in West Dorset constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing National Health Services.  As independent organisations, charitable hospices are responsible for their own recruitment and employment terms. They are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment, including the pay scales. It is for them to determine what is affordable within the financial model they operate.

A central part of our forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and those who support our workforce, including how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients, including those with palliative care and end of life care needs, across our communities.

This summer, we will also publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again. We will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it, including for those with palliative care and end of life care needs.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what interim support his Department is providing to Integrated Care Boards in West Dorset with dentist shortages. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry, but it will take time and there are no quick fixes. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions.

Integrated care boards have started to advertise posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years. As of 10 April 2025, in England, there are 53 dentists in post with a further 44 dentists who have been recruited but are yet to start in post under this scheme. Another 256 posts are currently advertised.

We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS, a central part of which will be our workforce. We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again.

To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.
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Mary Glindon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data centrally on average waiting times for access to NHS dentistry. \p Stephen Kinnock: No assessment has been made. Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Some dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-22)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure equitable access to eye care services for low-income populations. \p Stephen Kinnock: Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning primary and secondary eye care services to meet local needs, and have a duty under the Health and Care Act 2022 to reduce inequalities.

Free National Health Service sight tests and NHS optical vouchers, to help with the cost of glasses, are available for individuals on income-related benefits. Help may also be available through the NHS low-income scheme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-22 conversation_53

Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the retention and recruitment of dentists in rural areas. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in rural and coastal areas. The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The additional 700,000 urgent dental appointments are being made available across the country, with specific expectations for each region. These targets are more heavily weighted towards those areas where they are needed the most.

Integrated care boards have also started to advertise posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years. As of 10 April 2025, in England, there are 53 dentists in post with a further 44 dentists who have been recruited but are yet to start in post under this scheme. Another 256 posts are currently advertised.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-22 conversation_54

Mary Glindon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS dental capacity in Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: Dental Statistics - England 2023/24, published by the NHS Business Services Authority on 22 August 2024, is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324

The data for the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, which includes the Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency, shows that 46% of adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the previous 24 months up to June 2024, compared to 40% in England, and that 59% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months up to June 2024, compared to 56% in England.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-22 conversation_55

Mary Glindon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of NHS dentistry appointments in Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency, this is the NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB. ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The North East and North Cumbria ICB is expected to deliver 57,599 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-22 conversation_56

Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on the suicide prevention strategy; and what steps he is taking to help reduce suicide rates. \p Stephen Kinnock: There has been significant work and progress across the Government, the National Health Service, the police, the voluntary sector, academia, and wider partners to deliver the strategy.

As part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, the Government will recruit 8,500 mental health workers specially trained to support people at risk of suicide, to help ease pressure on busy mental health services.

The Government also continues to fund the Multicentre Study of Self-harm, whose work is vital in informing the development of policy, and of clinical practice.

The Online Safety Act puts new duties on social media companies and search services to help protect children and adults from harmful content online.

Between August 2023 and March 2025, £10 million was made available to voluntary, community, and social enterprises in England through the national 2023 to 2025 Suicide Prevention Grant Fund. The Department is now evaluating the impact of the fund, and learning from the evaluation will help to inform the delivery of the Government’s mission to reduce the lives lost to suicide.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-22 conversation_57

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 45763 on Women, when he expects his review of delivering same-sex accommodation guidance to be completed. \p Karin Smyth: The National Health Service is reviewing its Delivering same-sex accommodation guidance, and will ensure that it reflects the Supreme Court’s ruling and is aligned with the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s statutory guidance, when this becomes available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-22 conversation_58

Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many health boards have used Ritlecitinib to treat alopecia in the last 12 months. \p Karin Smyth: The NHS Business Services Authority and NHS England only hold prescribing data for ritlecitinib in England. As health is a devolved issue, information relating to the use of ritlecitinib by Scottish health boards would be held by the Scottish health authorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-22 conversation_59

Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the British Association of Dermatologists on the suitability of Severity of Alopecia Tool scores to determine treatment for alopecia. \p Karin Smyth: There have been no discussions between the current health ministers in England and the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) on the suitability of the Severity of Alopecia Tool’s (SALT) scores to determine treatment for alopecia areata.

However, we understand that BAD has acknowledged that whilst SALT is a helpful tool, it does not fully capture the overall impact of alopecia areata on an individual's life, including psychological distress and hair loss in other areas. Its 2024 living guideline for managing people with alopecia areata considers factors beyond scalp hair loss, such as other body hair loss, to assess the severity of alopecia areata.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-22 conversation_60

Maya Ellis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were recruited into National Institute for Health and Care Research supported phase 3 trials for (a) dementia, (b) cancer, (c) stroke and (d) coronary heart disease in the last five years. \p Ashley Dalton: A table showing the number of participants recruited into phase three trials in England, supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, for dementia, cancer, stroke, and coronary heart disease in the last five years is attached. It should be noted that this includes studies on atherothrombosis and the prevention of coronary artery disease.

The numbers of participants declined between the years 2020/21 and 2021/22. While it is not possible to confirm the exact reasons for this decline, this is likely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the focus on recruiting participants to urgent COVID-19 studies over these years. Other fluctuations are likely due to large sample size studies within the dataset, which have since opened or closed recruitment.

Additional Document (docx, 21.1KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-22 conversation_61

Chris Coghlan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for completion of the TRANSFORM trial into prostate cancer screening. \p Ashley Dalton: The TRANSFORM study, funded in partnership with Prostate Cancer UK, will look at new ways of screening for prostate cancer, and will include a national randomised control trial that will provide the definitive data for policymakers to decide on whether screening for prostate cancer should be recommended. The study is broken down into three phases: Phase 1, between 2025 and 2027; Phase 2, between 2028 and 2033; and Phase 3, between 2034 and 2043.

Phase 1 is focusing on making the trial run smoothly, testing a number of different possible screening approaches, and also determining the best way to engage men in the community to take part in the study. Critically, it is also determining the best form of randomisation to carry out. Recruitment for phase one is currently open.

Phase 2 will take forward the most robust randomisation strategy and the most promising screening approach or approaches with tens of thousands of consenting participants, in order to prove that these new screening strategies are beneficial.

Phase 3 will involve monitoring the trial participants over the following 10 years to determine the long-term impact of screening on rates of disease progression and survival.