theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure improved access to NHS dentistry for people in rural areas. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist particularly in rural 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 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.

The additional 700,000 appointments will be available across the country, with specific targets for each region. These targets are more heavily weighted towards those areas where they are needed the most. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/arrangements-for-nhs-urgent-primary-dental-care-during-2025-26-and-confirmation-of-the-closure-of-the-new-patient-premium-scheme/#annex-a-distribution-of-700k-additional-appointments

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.
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Melanie Onn:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of GPs undertaking medical examinations on GP workloads. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are determined to 'bulldoze bureaucracy' and cut red tape, ensuring general practitioners (GPs) spend less time filling in forms and more time caring for patients. We recognise it is vital for roles to be satisfying, rewarding and sustainable so that our experienced GPs continue to contribute throughout their career.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Golden Hello scheme in improving (a) NHS dentist recruitment and (b) retention levels of staff. \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 recruit 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.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 35836 on NHS: Negligence, how many separate instances of clinical negligence in England where NHS Resolution paid damages were there in each financial year since 2019-20, broken down by speciality. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England.

NHS Resolution has provided the requested information broken down by financial year since 2019/20 as well as specialty and scheme. Low figures have been supressed to protect claimant identity. NHSR may make more than one payment on a claim and therefore the volume of payments may exceed the volume of those claims where payments have been made. A copy of the information is attached.

PQ38437 Additional Document. (pdf, 76.6KB)
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) increasing the maximum mandatory disabled facilities grant and (b) reviewing means test arrangements for that grant. \p Stephen Kinnock: In England, we continue to fund the locally administered Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) which helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes. We are providing an immediate in-year uplift of £86 million in 2024/25. This is on top of the £625 million paid to local authorities in May 2024. The Government also announced an £86 million additional investment in the DFG for 2025/26 at the Autumn Budget 2024, bringing total funding for 2025/26 to £711 million.

To ensure the DFG is as effective as possible, we will continue to keep different aspects of the grant under consideration. As part of this, we are reviewing the suitability of the current upper limit and will set out further detail in due course.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to NHS community dental services for people with disabilities. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are committed to ensuring National Health Service dental services are available to all who need them. The January 2025 Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) report on community dental services (CDS) highlighted several known challenges in the operation and monitoring of CDS. NHS England and the Department have taken the recommendations on board and are working to improve the data reporting process to increase oversight of CDS activity, including current waiting lists and performance reporting.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for undertaking special care oral health needs assessments, to identify areas of oral health need, to inform local commissioning intentions, and determine the local priorities for investment.

On 5 October 2024, NHS England announced a new dental check-up service for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The dental check-ups will be offered to all special residential schools and colleges across England from next year and will reach around 18,000 children and young people. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2024/10/nhs-rolls-out-free-eyesight-hearing-and-dental-checks-for-children-at-residential-special-schools/
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support hospital radio stations. \p Karin Smyth: Hospital radio can provide National Health Service patients and visitors with a positive experience at a time when they are feeling vulnerable. NHS trusts work locally with volunteers and organisations to provide this service. Decisions about supporting the service are made most appropriately at a local level.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that healthcare services can (a) recruit and (b) retain doctors in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Karin Smyth: Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual National Health Service employers. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.

NHS England’s Enhancing Resident Doctors Working Lives programme continues to implement several measures aimed at supporting resident doctors, supporting them to stay in training and the NHS, and reducing overall attrition. In addition, the NHS National Retention Programme is actively improving working conditions for doctors by enhancing workplace culture, promoting flexible training, and reducing burnout and attrition.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the criteria used to determine the amount allocated for the Personal Expenses Allowance for residents in care homes. \p Stephen Kinnock: The personal expenses allowance (PEA) sets the statutory minimum amount of income an individual residing in a care home must be left with after being charged for their care. These rates are reviewed annually, and local authorities also have the discretion to set higher rates where they choose.

The 2025 Local Authority Circular, published on 3 March 2025, sets out that the rates of the PEA will be uprated in line with consumer price index (CPI) inflation for 2025/2026, to £30.65 per week.

This aligns with the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget 2024 announcement that benefits will be uprated in line with CPI inflation.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the use of deep geothermal energy on energy bills for hospitals. \p Karin Smyth: The Department recognises that deep geothermal has the potential to be valuable part of the National Health Service’s energy mix. The clean, consistent energy offered by successful geothermal projects could make a significant contribution to the NHS’s 2040 Net Zero target, whilst supporting the NHS’s overall energy security and resilience.

However, there are barriers that must first be addressed, including the United Kingdom sector’s lack of relative maturity, the geological risks posed by deep bore projects, the extensive payback periods, project failure rates, and the high upfront capital demand of such projects. These issues are outside of the competence of the Department of Health and Social Care and would be for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to explore further as the lead energy department.
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Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing electronic prescriptions for medicinal cannabis. \p Karin Smyth: Cannabis-based products for medicinal use are Schedule 2 controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. Electronic prescribing of Schedule 2 and 3 Controlled Drugs in National Health Service primary care settings has been operational since 2019.

Electronic prescriptions for controlled drugs in Schedules 2 and 3 must be sent using an advanced electronic signature and sent via the NHS Electronic Prescribing Service as part of enhanced security measures. There are no current plans to make legislative changes to enable similar systems in private healthcare to prescribe Schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs.
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Gideon Amos:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the funding for early access programmes. \p Karin Smyth: There are no current plans to increase funding for medicines supplied through early access programmes. The early access to medicines scheme (EAMS) was formed in 2014 and aims to give patients with life threatening or seriously debilitating conditions access to medicines that do not yet have a marketing authorisation when there is a clear unmet medical need. In 2022, EAMS was introduced into the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. EAMS products are classed as unlicensed medicines within the regulations. Additionally, within the regulations, there is no comment on the ability to charge for supply, however, it is stated in the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) guidance that there should be no charge for supply of these medicines under the EAMS programme.

Outside of EAMS, companies may put in place early access programmes (EAPs) to allow early access to new medicines that do not yet have a marketing authorisation. These are not approved by the MHRA and participation in such programmes is decided at an individual National Health Service trust level. Under these programmes, the cost of the drug is free to both patients taking part in it, and to the NHS, but NHS trusts must still cover administration costs.

NHS England has published guidance for integrated care systems (ICS) on free of charge medicines schemes such as EAPs, including providing advice on potential financial, administrative, and clinical risks. The guidance aims to support the NHS to drive value from medicines and ensure consistent and equitable access to medicines across England. ICSs should follow the recommendations to determine whether to implement any free of charge scheme, including assessing suitability and any risks in the short, medium, and long term. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/free-of-charge-foc-medicines-schemes-national-policy-recommendations-for-local-systems/
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of when all wave one hospitals in the New Hospital Programme will be completed. \p Karin Smyth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 February 2025 to Question 29225.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to ensure that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency uses (a) placenta-on-a-chip and (b) other modern test methods in drug testing. \p Karin Smyth: In the development of new medicines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) does not, itself, carry out experimental studies. Its role is to review reports of studies supplied by drug developers characterising safety and potential efficacy of the drug; these can include placenta-on-a chip, or other methods using human cells.

To be able to make such judgements, MHRA staff need to maintain and develop their knowledge about modern testing methods and to this end, MHRA staff have contributed to organising and have attended meetings where these methods are discussed. For instance, Agency staff contributed to a multi-stakeholder meeting in London in November 2024 organised in conjunction with the National Council for the 3Rs and with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry for which a publication is now under preparation. MHRA staff will attend the Microphysiological Systems World Summit in Brussels in June 2025, where drug testing methods will be a major topic of discussion.

The MHRA’s own laboratory activities include the independent testing of certain biological products, for example, vaccines and anti-toxins, to ensure they meet acceptable standards prior to each batch being released for use. In the small number of products where this work currently relies on use of animals, development of acceptable, validated, alternatives is a major priority; the numbers of animals used in our regulatory science has more than halved in the last 10 years.
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Peter Prinsley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to review NHS targets to incentivise improvements in patient experience and outcomes. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to putting patients first. This means making sure patients are seen on time and ensuring people have the best possible experience of care. Our efforts to improve patient experience will be patient-led and co-developed to support and empower the people who use services within the National Health Service.

In the Elective Reform Plan, published on 6 January 2025, the Government committed to work with patients, carers and their representatives to publish the standards patients should expect to experience while they wait for care. Once published, these standards will set an expectation to all Trusts about the service they are expected to deliver. We will continue to work with patients and carers to build on this work and establish a gold standard for experience.

We will support NHS trusts to prioritise experience of care by ensuring they make customer care training available to non-clinical staff with patient facing roles, as well as ensuring the take up of training already available on the e-Referral Services to support more effective referral, booking and waiting list management processes. NHS trusts will also be required to name an existing director who will be responsible for improving experience of care.

The Department will also make improvements to patient experience on a national level; for example, by expanding the NHS App and Manage Your Referral website to improve information and appointment management for patients, as well as parents and carers through proxy access.

Additionally, in January 2025, NHS England published NHS Planning Guidance for 2025-26, setting out the first steps for reform, and the immediate actions for systems to take to deliver on the Government’s objectives. Acting on findings from the Darzi review, instructions to the NHS have been stripped down to what matters most to patients, including, for instance, improving patient experience of access to general practice as measured by the Office for National Statistics’ Health Insights Survey and shifting focus from inputs to outcomes for patients.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2025 to Question 36169 on Health Services, what tests (a) his Department and (b) NHS England require before a substantial planned service change. \p Karin Smyth: The tests the Department requires are set out in NHS England’s guidance to the National Health Service on planning, assuring and delivering service change, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/planning-assuring-and-delivering-service-change-for-patients/

The Government’s four tests of service change are:

In any proposal includes plans to significantly reduce hospital bed numbers, NHS England will expect commissioners to be able to evidence that they can meet one of the following three conditions: demonstrate that sufficient alternative provision, such as increased general practice or community services, is being put in place alongside or ahead of bed closures, and that the new workforce will be there to deliver it; and/or show that specific new treatments or therapies, such as new anti-coagulation drugs used to treat strokes, will reduce specific categories of admissions; or where a hospital has been using beds less efficiently than the national average, that it has a credible plan to improve performance without affecting patient care, for example in line with the Getting it Right First Time programme.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to stop violence against pregnant NHS healthcare professionals. \p Karin Smyth: The Government takes a zero-tolerance approach to any kind of violent behaviour. All National Health Service staff, including pregnant healthcare workers, should be able to care for patients without fear of violence.

Individual employers are responsible for the health and safety of their staff, including assessing the risks to pregnant employees and their baby. Where there are risks, employers should take reasonable steps to remove them.

NHS England are leading work on violence prevention and reduction to provide better training and support for employers and their staff. In December 2024, NHS England published a refreshed Violence Prevention and Reduction Standard. The standard sets out guidance for trusts to help them identify risks, training requirements and crucially, what support must be made available to those staff affected.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2025 to Question 35000 on General Practitioners: Contracts, how many GP contracts have been handed back since 4 July 2024. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department does not hold the data requested.
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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the NHS Payment Scheme on the availability of ADHD assessment services. \p Stephen Kinnock: As required by law, NHS England has assessed the impact of the proposed NHS Payment Scheme. This is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/25-26-NHSPS-Consultation-notice-C-impact-assessment.pdf

This impact assessment includes consideration of the impact on patient choice, as well as an assessment of the impact on patients, in line with NHS England’s public sector equality duty.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients will continue to benefit from the Right to Choose their provider at the point of referral. None of the proposed changes to the NHS Payment Scheme included in the consultation would change this.

Local integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for planning service provision in their local area, including for ADHD assessments. In doing so, ICBs should take account of waiting lists, considering how local funding can be deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.
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Alex Sobel:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department provides on safe levels of fluoride in drinking water. \p Stephen Kinnock: Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in water and some foods. The amount of naturally occurring fluoride in water varies across the United Kingdom due to geological differences. Drinking water regulations contain a standard for fluoride which is a maximum of 1.5 milligrams per litre. This is the same level as the World Health Organisation health-based guideline value for fluoride in drinking water. If the standard of 1.5 milligram per litre is breached, the Drinking Water Inspectorate has the power to take enforcement action to require the water company to rectify the breach.

In some areas of England, the level of fluoride is adjusted through a water fluoridation scheme to improve dental health. In these areas, the target level for fluoride is one milligram per litre, well within the regulatory limit. There is a legal duty to monitor the effects of water fluoridation schemes on health and report on it every four years. Previous reports are available at the following link, with the next due to be published in 2026:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-fluoridation-health-monitoring-report-for-england-2018

The Drinking Water Inspectorate has published an advice leaflet on fluoridation of drinking water which can be found here:

https://www.dwi.gov.uk/consumers/learn-more-about-your-water/fluoridation-of-drinking-water/
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Imran Hussain:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential cost savings to the NHS arising from the implementation of the Hub and Spoke model in community pharmacy. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Impact Assessment was published alongside the consultation of the proposed hub and spoke reform, which was published on 13 May 2024. The assessment is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/hub-and-spoke-dispensing/outcome/government-response-to-the-consultation-on-hub-and-spoke-dispensing#impact-assessment-and-equality-considerations

No costs savings were attributed to the National Health Service in that assessment. The monetised benefits relate to the reduction in operating costs at the spoke pharmacies due to the savings in dispensing time. The Impact Assessment will be updated when the Government lays the proposed legislation in Parliament.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 35427 on Dental Services, what estimate he has made of when that data will be available. \p Stephen Kinnock: Data on the number of additional urgent dental appointments created since 4 July 2024 will be available in due course. We are working with NHS England and the NHS Business Service Authority on the data publication schedule.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the move to a neighbourhood health service will (a) meet the complex needs of people living with dementia and their families and (b) include (i) Admiral Nurses and (ii) other dementia specialist nurses as a core role within these multidisciplinary teams. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are committed to moving towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered in local communities to spot problems earlier, supporting people to stay healthier and maintain their independence for longer. The Government also wants a society where every person with dementia receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.

Neighbourhood Health Guidelines have been published alongside the 2025/26 NHS Operational Planning Guidance and the 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, to help integrated care boards (ICBs), local authorities and health and care providers to continue to progress neighbourhood health in 2025/26. The focus for 2025/26 is on individuals with complex needs who require support from multiple services and organisations, which could include those living with dementia.

Neighbourhood health reinforces integrated working for the National Health Service, local government, social care and wider partners including the voluntary sector as the norm, not the exception. Admiral Nurses are developed and supported by Dementia UK as an independent charitable organisation. Provision of dementia health services is the responsibility of local ICBs. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends providing people living with dementia with a single named health or social care professional who is responsible for coordinating their care.

The full vision for the health system will be set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional support for pharmacies to dispense medication in multi-compartment compliance aids to vulnerable patients. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Equality Act 2010 requires pharmacies to make reasonable adjustments for patients with protected characteristics. Multi-compartment compliance aids are one of many reasonable adjustments available, however, they are not always the most appropriate option. Patients should be assessed on a case-by-case basis to find the right intervention for them.

Pharmacies are expected to fund reasonable adjustments required under the Equality Act 2010 from the fees they receive for essential services as part of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework. We are working at pace with Community Pharmacy England to ensure that the funding we have available is used to support community pharmacy in the best way possible.
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Catherine Atkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number and proportion of NHS organisations that do not have adequate IT systems in place to support the delivery of the Accessible Information Standard. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department does not hold information on the adequacy of IT systems to support specifically the delivery of the Accessible Information Standard. NHS England publishes criteria for how organisations can assess their compliance with the Accessible Information Standard, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/equality/equality-hub/patient-equalities-programme/equality-frameworks-and-information-standards/accessibleinfo/resources/assess-conformance/

The Frontline Digitisation programme is supporting integrated care systems and trusts in England do a baseline level of digital capability, as defined in the Minimum Digital Foundation.
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Leigh Ingham:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing guidelines to social workers for parents with autism. \p Stephen Kinnock: Social workers involved in an autistic person’s care have a duty to promote their human rights, safety and wellbeing, assess their needs and help facilitate access to the right services.

The regulator for the social work profession, Social Work England, sets the professional standards. These are standards all social workers must meet. The professional standards include that social workers must be able to provide, or support people to access, advice and services tailored to meet their needs.

Social workers complete initial education and training, for which training providers must meet Social Work England’s Education and Training Standards. These standards require training providers to ensure that the course is continually updated because of developments in research, legislation, Government policy and best practice.

Additionally, under the Health and Care Act 2022, Care Quality Commission-registered providers are required to ensure their staff receive specific training on learning disability and autism appropriate to their role. This will help to ensure that staff, including social workers, have the right knowledge and skills to provide safe and informed care.

To support this, we have been rolling out the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism. Over two million people have already completed the e-learning package which is the first part of this training.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 35425 on General Practitioners: Finance, what data was used to calculate the standardised (a) Limited Long-Standing Illness and (b) Mortality Ratio for people under 65 years old. \p Stephen Kinnock: The weighting in the Carr-Hill formula for Standardised Limited Long-Standing Illness was estimated using the Health Survey for England data for 1998 to 2000. The weighting for the Mortality Ratio for people under 65 years old was estimated from Office for National Statistics (ONS) data for 1996 to 2000.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of qualified occupational therapists in (a) health, (b) social care and (c) community settings. \p Stephen Kinnock: The refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan, which will be published in summer 2025, will deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people, including qualified occupational therapists, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

The Department supports occupational health students in training with the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF), providing eligible students with a non-repayable grant of £5,000 a year. Further financial support is also available for childcare, dual accommodation costs and travel.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of (a) NHS Capital and (b) District Valuer Services rules in meeting demand for new primary care facilities. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to fixing the front door of the National Health Service, and this includes working with providers to deliver the primary care infrastructure required to enable a Neighbourhood Health Service.

Capital spending is set to increase by £1.8 billion to £13.6 billion in 2025/26, representing a real terms increase of 12.8%. Excluding COVID-19 years, this settlement represents the highest Departmental capital budget in real terms since 2010. The Department is currently reviewing capital requirements in line with the Government’s missions and as part of our preparations for future budget allocations.

Properties occupied by general practitioners are required to be professionally valued by the District Valuer. This is to ensure that agreed rent levels are in line with market conditions. It is important that these rent levels represent value for money because they will be reimbursed by the local integrated care board under the Premises Costs Directions 2024.
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Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of GP provision in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Ilford South constituency; and what steps he is taking to improve patient access. \p Stephen Kinnock: Ilford South sits within the North East London Integrated Care Board (ICB). Since June 2018, there has been an increase of 45 full-time equivalent (FTE) general practitioners (GPs) in the ICB; in the London region, there has been an increase of 411 FTE GPs; and across England there has been an increase of 4,636 FTE GPs.

In January 2025, an estimated 1.1 million appointments were delivered in the North East London ICB, an increase of 3.75% from January 2024. In the London region, there was a 2.64% increase over the same period, and across England there was a 1.76% increase.

We are uplifting the 2025/26 GP contract by £889 million, with a rising share of total National Health Service resources going to general practice. This will help to increase capacity in the system so patients can access the care they need. Alongside this increase in funding, the contract contains measures to improve access to services, continuity of care and GP recruitment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-19)

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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to better integrate occupational therapists in primary care; and whether occupational therapists will be included in any plans for a neighbourhood health service. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are committed to moving towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered in local communities to spot problems earlier, supporting people to stay healthier and maintain their independence for longer

Achieving our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service will involve health and care services, including social care, wider local government services, and statutory services such as housing and employment, and the voluntary sector. There will be a strong focus on how they collaborate with system partners to prevent people spending unnecessary time in hospitals or care homes. The full vision for the health system will be set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.
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Fabian Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce nationally commissioned services for the treatment of primary progressive aphasia. \p Stephen Kinnock: There are no current plans to introduce such nationally commissioned services. We are committed to delivering high quality care and support for every person with dementia, and central to this is the provision of personalised care and support planning for post diagnostic support.

Provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). It is the expectation that ICBs commission services based on local population needs, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. It is the responsibility of ICBs to work within their geographical area to offer services that meet the needs of their population.

Local authorities are required to provide or arrange services that meet the social care needs of the local population under the Care Act 2014.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to improve (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of learning difficulties in adults. \p Stephen Kinnock: A learning difficulty is a reduced ability for a specific form of learning and includes conditions such as dyslexia and dyspraxia. These are life-long conditions.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population. Information on dyslexia assessments as well as those for dyspraxia in adults are available at the following links:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/diagnosis/

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/developmental-coordination-disorder-dyspraxia-in-adults/

The Department for Education has invested £1.34 billion in the 2024/25 academic year in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF). This is funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency and includes funds for learning support, which helps adult education providers to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including the costs of reasonable adjustments, as set out in the Equality Act 2010.

Learning support can cover a range of needs, including an assessment for dyslexia, funding to pay for specialist equipment or helpers, and/or arranging signers or note takers. The Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority have a devolved ASF and decide how to make best use of the ASF, beyond the ASF’s statutory entitlements, to meet their local needs.
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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to make (a) dental mouth guards and (b) other dental orthotics services available for free on the NHS for people who are on Pension Credit. \p Stephen Kinnock: Dental mouth guards are available for free to any patient who is in receipt of Pension Credit, Guarantee Credit, or anyone else who is exempt from dental patient charges, where they have a specific dental need for one. There are currently no plans to change the dental patient charge exemption criteria.

National Health Service orthodontic treatment is free for people under 18 years old with a clear health need for treatment. Orthodontic treatment is not usually available on the NHS for adults. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/orthodontics/
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of mandating principal occupational therapist roles within (a) local authorities and (b) NHS trusts. \p Stephen Kinnock: Whilst the Department is not responsible for decisions about the principal occupational therapist roles in adult social care or National Health Service trusts, the role of mandating would sit with employers and the regulator of principal occupational therapists, which is the Health and Care Professions Council.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of levels of funding available to GPs following (a) the new GP contract for 2025-26 and (b) changes to employer National Insurance contributions. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have made necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the Autumn Budget. Resource spending for the Department will be £22.6 billion more in 2025/26 than in 2023/24, as part of the Spending Review settlement. The employers’ National Insurance rise will be implemented in April 2025.

Primary care providers, including general practices, are valued independent contractors who provide almost £20 billion worth of services in the National Health Service. Each year, we consult with each sector both about what services they provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract.

We are investing an additional £889 million in general practice (GP) to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. We are pleased that the England general practitioners committee of the British Medical Association is supportive of the contract changes.
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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the application by the South Coast Medical Group for the establishment of a surgery in Burton as a Branch of The Grove Surgery was made; and when a decision will be given. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department does not hold information on applications for the establishment of new surgeries as it is for integrated care boards, as part of their commissioning responsibility for primary care, to consider applications for any new general practice surgeries.

The hon. Member may wish to raise this issue with the local integrated care board directly, so it can investigate this further. Their contact details at available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/find-your-local-integrated-care-board/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-19)

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Sally Jameson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring social workers have more time for relationship-based work. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is the responsibility of employers to ensure that social workers in their organisation have time for relationship-based work. The Department recognises and values the importance of relationship-based work for social workers in adult social care, and for the people they are providing care and support to. The Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (AYSE) is a 12-month, employer led and employment-based programme of support and assessment for newly qualified social workers. The ASYE Knowledge and Skills Statement for Social Workers in Adult Services standards state that social workers need to apply a wide range of knowledge and skills to understand and build relationships, and work directly with individuals, their families and carers to enable and empower them to achieve best outcomes. The Knowledge and Skills Statement sets out what a social worker working with adults should know and be able to do by the end of the ASYE, and this includes relationship-based work.