theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
wrans/answers2025-10-22 conversation_41
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-22 conversation_41

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of preventing the NHS Business Services Authority from withholding funding for staff payments where a community pharmacy owes significant money. \p Stephen Kinnock: Pharmacies are private businesses. The National Health Service Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) pays all pharmacy contractors as set out in the Drug Tariff and based on the activity they declare which is then reconciled at a later stage to ensure that the total payment accurately reflects the prescriptions dispensed and the work done.

The NHSBSA does not normally withhold funding from pharmacies unless there are good reasons to do so. If pharmacies do not give an accurate declaration of their activity, this can result in an overpayment which the NHSBSA recovers from future payments in line with the Managing Public Money guidance. This reduces the risk of financial loss to the NHS.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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

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

The press notice referred to in the question contains the number of appointments each ICB has been asked to deliver. This is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dental-patients-to-benefit-from-700000-extra-urgent-appointments
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the proportion of urgent dental care appointments purchased by ICBs that were attended by a patient. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have asked integrated care boards (ICBs) to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they need. ICBs have been making extra appointments available from April 2025.

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

The Department does not hold data on the proportion of urgent dental care appointments, purchased by ICBs, that were attended by a patient.
wrans/answers2025-10-22 conversation_44
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of (a) care and (b) support for deaf people in care homes. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is taking steps to improve the quality of adult social care, which will include deaf people in care homes. This includes improvements to better support the vital care workforce through a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million, expanded career pathways, and £12 million invested in training and qualifications.

We have also launched an independent commission, chaired by Baroness Casey, to help shape the future of adult social care and ensure it meets the needs of older people and working-age disabled adults. The commission will explore how to improve accountability and drive up quality across the system.

Under section 18 of the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to meet the needs of adults in their area who meet the eligibility criteria, which would include deaf people that have eligible needs. In addition, under the Equality Act 2010, local authorities must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) are assessing how well local authorities in England are performing against their duties under part one of the Care Act 2014, including their duties relating to the access and provision of care and support for deaf people. Support for deaf people forms part of the CQC’s overall assessment of local authorities’ delivery of adult social care. In that context, the CQC will report on access and provision of care and support for deaf people when there is something important to highlight, such as something being done well, innovative practice or an area for improvement.

The CQC monitors, inspects and regulates adult social care services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. For deaf individuals, this includes providing care that is responsive to their communication needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce a minimum service guarantee for people funding their own care through their pensions. \p Stephen Kinnock: Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care, including those funding their own care.

We are progressing towards a National Care Service based on higher standards, more choice and control, and better joined up services, which will improve the quality of services for people. To build consensus on plans for a National Care Service, Baroness Casey is chairing an independent commission to shape the medium- and longer-term reforms needed.

The independent commission has launched a new portal on their website and invited members of the public, people drawing on care and support, and organisations to submit evidence and to share their stories and ideas for improving the adult social care system.
wrans/answers2025-10-22 conversation_46
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) work with GP practices to ensure nursing staff receive pay increases in line with national recommendations and (b) facilitate the shift of pay awards from October to April so that no portion of annual remuneration is lost; and what assessment he has made of the need for a framework that guarantees government-allocated funding for staff pay is used for that intended purpose. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to ensuring that the general practice (GP) nursing workforce is sustainable, supported, and valued for the work they do.

As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is up to GPs how they distribute pay and benefits to their staff. Funding for GP nursing pay is not ringfenced and contractual arrangements do not place any specific obligations on GPs with regard to GP nurse terms and conditions.

The independent review body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration has recommended an uplift of 4% to the pay ranges for salaried GPs, and to GP contractor pay for 2025/26. We have provided an increase to core funding for practices to allow this 4% pay uplift to be passed on to salaried and contractor GPs.

We expect GP contractors to implement pay rises to other practice staff in line with the uplift in funding they have received.

The Government has committed to a new substantive GP Contract within this Parliament cycle, and we will continue to engage constructively with the General Practitioners Committee England on issues such as staffing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Mrs Sharon Hodgson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to make the provision of women's health hubs by ICBs mandatory. \p Karin Smyth: A target on women’s health hubs was not needed in this year’s planning guidance because the target was met. We have moved away from central targets through the planning guidance and are supporting integrated care boards (ICBs) to continue improving their delivery of women’s health hubs. This is in line with their responsibility to decide which services they want to commission in order to meet the needs of their local populations and will therefore not be mandated. We have heard from ICBs on the positive impacts that women’s health hubs have on both women's access to care in the community and their experiences. The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and to support ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to moving towards a neighbourhood health service, with more care delivered in local communities, to identify and address problems earlier and closer to home. Women’s health hubs are an example of this approach and can play a key role in delivering the Government’s commitments on tackling long National Health Service waiting lists, as well as shifting care into the community.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Rebecca Paul:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the recommendations on surrogacy in the report by the UN Special Rapporteur for Violence Against Women and Girls entitled Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences: The different manifestations of violence against women and girls in the context of surrogacy, published on 14 July 2025. \p Karin Smyth: The UN Special Rapporteur’s report is framed within the context of Violence Against Women and Girls and recommends banning surrogacy in all forms.

The United Kingdom Government supports surrogacy as an option for family formation, for people unable to carry their own children. For this option, we recommend the use of UK not-for-profit surrogacy organisations.

For those considering surrogacy overseas, we recommend taking specialist legal advice and consulting the advice published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/surrogacy-overseas/surrogacy-overseas
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the average cost per night of care (a) in an acute hospital, (b) in a community hospital and (c) at home with visiting nursing support (i) for NHS England, (ii) in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB area and (iii) in the Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust area. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England don’t routinely collect expenditure data against the categories requested but we do for the following categories in the table below.

For (a) and (b) rather than share data by acute or community ‘hospital’, we have broken this down by acute or community ‘trust’ for the national and integrated care board (ICB) level requests, except for Portsmouth Hospital University NHS Trust which is acute only.

We are not able to provide the costs of (c), at home with visiting nurse support as we don’t collect this level of cost information.

The costs we have provided are fully absorbed, i.e. they include not only the medical care of the patients but also all other costs incurred in the trusts. The costs are taken from the National Cost Collection for 2023/24, the latest year for which data is currently available. This is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2023-24-national-cost-collection-data-publication/

To derive the average cost per bed day we have divided the total cost by the total length of stay for all Admitted Patient Care delivered in:

a. (i) – All acute NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts

Total Costs

Total length of stay for all Admitted Patient Care (days)

Average cost per day

£45,409,702,984

52,414,320

£866.36

a. (ii) – All acute trusts in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB area

Total Cost

Total length of stay for all Admitted Patient Care (days)

Average cost per day

£1,426,531,392

1,815,334

£785.82

a. (iii) - Portsmouth Hospital University NHS Trust (to note - this is specifically this trust, not the Portsmouth 'area')

Total Cost

Total length of stay for all Admitted Patient Care (days)

Average cost per day

£451,003,686

675,437

£667.72

b. (i) – All community NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts

Total Cost

Total length of stay for all Admitted Patient Care (days)

Average cost per day

£481,873,973

842,354

£572.06

b. (ii) – All community NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB area (to note - Solent NHS Trust are the only community trust in this ICB)

Total Cost

Total length of stay for all Admitted Patient Care (days)

Average cost per day

£21,140,773

36,855

£573.62
wrans/answers2025-10-22 conversation_50
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-22 conversation_50

Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which charities received funding from the supplementary fund to support engagement with seldom heard groups as part of the 10 Year Health Plan consultation; and how much funding each organisation received. \p Karin Smyth: National Voices, Friends, Families and Travellers, Homeless Link, and the Race Equality Foundation, carried out these engagement sessions. The total sum of funding provided was £81,311.00. The following table shows the total funding and the amount of funding each charity received:

Charity

Funding received

National Voices

£21,070.00

Friends, Families and Travellers

£14,998.00

Homeless Link

£6,673.00

Race Equality Foundation

£11,550.00

Maternity Consortium

£27,020.00

Total

£81,311.00
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what selection criteria were used to identify charities eligible for funding to support community engagement with (a) sex workers, (b) travelling communities, (c) asylum seekers and (d) other seldom heard groups. \p Karin Smyth: All members of the Health and Wellbeing Alliance were approached to support the 10-Year Health Plan engagement process to help ensure we reached seldom-heard groups and communities. Charities were selected based on their ability to deliver engagement sessions with communities and groups that were under-represented in the national conversation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help prevent patients being treated in (a) corridors, (b) converted office spaces, (c) gyms and (d) other inappropriate spaces in winter 2025-26. \p Karin Smyth: We are doing everything we can as fast as we can to tackle and eliminate corridor care. The Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so patients can be treated with dignity.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out the steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care.

We have been taking key steps to ensure that the health service is prepared for the colder months. This includes taking actions to try to reduce the demand pressure on accident and emergency departments, increase vaccination rates, and offer health checks to the most vulnerable, as well as stress-testing integrated care board and trust winter plans to confirm they are able to meet demand and support patient flow.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Susan Murray:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to prevent patients being treated in (a) corridors, (b) converted office spaces, (c) gyms and (d) other inappropriate spaces. \p Karin Smyth: We are doing everything we can as fast as we can to eliminate corridor care. The Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so that patients can be treated with dignity.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out the steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This plan includes a target to reduce the number of patients waiting over 12 hours for admission or discharge from an emergency department compared to 2024/25, with the aim of this occurring less than 10% of the time, and a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care.

We will also publish new clinical operational standards for the first 72 hours of care which will support better hospital flow, which aims to reduce overcrowding and long waits.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review the NHS Car Parking Guidance. \p Karin Smyth: The Department currently has no plans to review National Health Service car parking guidance. Free hospital car parking is available to groups that are most in-need, including disabled people, frequent outpatient attenders, the parents of sick children staying overnight, and staff working night shifts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many newly qualified nurses have secured employment through the Graduate Guarantee scheme since its introduction; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Graduate Guarantee scheme; and with reference to the forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan, what steps his Department is taking to align the number of nursing graduates with the availability of entry-level posts. \p Karin Smyth: Supporting newly qualified nurses and midwives to move smoothly into employment is a key priority. The Graduate Guarantee, introduced in August 2025, is now being implemented across the National Health Service to ensure every newly qualified nurse and midwife is supported to secure appropriate employment. Early feedback from trusts and regions indicates that it is having a positive impact on the current recruitment cycle, with organisations recruiting ahead of turnover and creating additional entry-level posts.

We expect the recruitment cycle to be concluded by March 2026 for this cohort, and published workforce statistics will provide a transparent assessment of the current NHS workforce. The forthcoming Chief Nursing Officer professional strategy for nursing and midwifery, alongside the 10 Year Workforce Plan, will set out further details on future workforce needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure newly qualified nurses can access Band 5 roles in their local area; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) experience requirements and (b) internal-only job advertisements on newly qualified nurses' ability to secure employment. \p Karin Smyth: Newly qualified nurses are an essential part of the National Health Service workforce, and it is important that they are able to access suitable Band 5 employment opportunities on qualification. The Graduate Guarantee, introduced in August 2025, is now being implemented across the NHS to ensure every newly qualified nurse and midwife is supported to secure appropriate employment. Early feedback from trusts and regions indicates it is having a positive impact on the current recruitment cycle, with organisations recruiting ahead of turnover and creating additional entry-level posts.

In parallel, all regions are working with providers and higher education institutions to ensure a smooth transition from training into employment for newly qualified nurses with students being invited to apply for local roles. NHS England has also reminded employers to ensure advertisements do not disadvantage newly qualified nurses seeking their first post.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support the (a) development and (b) expansion of women’s health hubs across the country. \p Karin Smyth: We are supporting integrated care boards (ICBs) to continue improving their delivery of women’s health hubs, in line with their responsibility to commission services that meet the needs of their local populations.

We have heard from ICBs on the positive impacts that women’s health hubs have on both women’s access to care in the community and their experience. The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and to support ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to moving towards a neighbourhood health service, with more care delivered in local communities, to identify and address problems earlier and closer to home. Women’s health hubs are an example of this approach and can play a key role in delivering the government’s manifesto commitments on tackling long NHS waiting lists, as well as shifting care into the community.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that (a) fathers, (b) families from minority (i) ethnic and (ii) faith backgrounds and (c) other bereaved parents receive (A) timely, (B) equitable and (C) culturally competent support following the loss of a baby. \p Karin Smyth: Following the loss of a baby, all parents should receive timely, equitable, and culturally competent care. To support this, NHS England has provided funding to all integrated care boards (ICBs) to establish seven-day-a-week bereavement services across maternity settings in England, so that support is always available when families need it most. Currently, 38 out of 42 ICBs offer a seven day a week bereavement service.

Bereavement care and cultural competence are both included within the Core Competency Framework which sets out the essential training for staff to help to address variations in the quality of support provided. Over 15,400 maternity staff have completed the e-learning module on cultural competency to date.

In addition, the leaders of all 150 maternity and neonatal units in England have now participated in the Perinatal Culture and Leadership programme. Recognising that more is needed to ensure families from minority ethnic and faith backgrounds receive the appropriate care, NHS England is rolling out a perinatal equity anti-discrimination programme to equip staff with the skills to provide the best possible care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Patrick Hurley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to implement the Women’s Health Strategy on LGBTQ+ people ageing out of NHS fertility eligibility. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. In light of broader pressures on the NHS and ongoing changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.

Work continues between the Department and NHS England to better understand NHS-funded fertility services and the effectiveness of these services including the issue for LGBTQ+ people and specifically same-sex female couples. This work will take time to develop, however, the Department is keen to ensure there will be stakeholder engagement during this process beginning in the new year.

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

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

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10263/consultation/html-content-2
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board on the reduction of the number of IVF cycles offered. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues between the Department and NHS England to better understand the offer around NHS-funded fertility services.

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

NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to NHS-funded treatment are still appropriate. A consultation on the revised guidelines was published on 10 September 2025, and is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10263/consultation/html-content-2

In light of broader pressures on the NHS and ongoing changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 11 September 2025 to Question 73326 on NHS: Strikes, whether more detailed guidance has been provided by (a) NHS England and (b) his Department on this matter. \p Karin Smyth: Further guidance is provided for employers by NHS Employers and doctors should reference the Good Medical Practice Guide outlined by the General Medical Council (GMC) when making decisions about working during periods of strike action.

Information for employers can be found here:

https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/industrial-action-guidance-resources-and-faqs

Information for doctors can be found here:

https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/ethical-hub/industrial-action

The GMC guidance states that if a doctor is due to work but is not attending due to strike action, it is advised that the doctor still prepares and remains available during their scheduled working hours to respond appropriately if circumstances change during a period of industrial action.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to provide clearer support pathways for women experiencing surgical menopause. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises that women suffering from symptoms of menopause have been failed for far too long, and we acknowledge the impact it has on women’s lives, relationships, and participation in the workplace.

Surgical menopause can have significant consequences both in the short and long term. Menopausal symptoms can be particularly severe due to the sudden loss of ovarian function in both pre/post-menopausal women. Experiences vary, but this can be very debilitating.

Women should be counselled prior to surgery about what to expect and offered hormone replacement therapy if appropriate and desirable in managing symptoms. They should have a full discussion about implications of removal of ovaries and treatment options.

We have supported the system to improve access to more specialised and multidisciplinary teams in the community through the introduction of women’s health hubs. The hubs provide better communication and integrated care for women with a range of different needs, including menopause symptoms.

NHS England has supported a range of tools and interventions that will help to upskill more general practitioners in menopause care and will improve access to treatments that can be helpful, including a Menopause Optimal Pathway Toolkit (OPT). The OPT is an online resource that was developed in collaboration with partners including the British Menopause Society, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of General Practitioners, and the Royal College of Physicians. It is designed to be used in real-time, alongside the consultation, to guide health professionals through a menopause consultation. The information within the OPT is intended to be comprehensive, including National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, easy-to-use and locate, and should provide up-to-date information.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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John Whitby:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made towards publishing the family engagement strategy and methodology for the National Maternity Investigation. \p Karin Smyth: The national maternity and neonatal investigation is operationally independent of the Department and, therefore, we do not hold this information.
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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS England's guidance entitled Saving babies’ lives version three: a care bundle for reducing perinatal mortality, updated on 24 April 2025, is implemented across NHS trusts. \p Karin Smyth: All trusts are implementing version three of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle to reduce the rates of stillbirth, preterm birth, and to optimise neonatal care. As of May 2025, 116 out of 120 trusts were fully compliant, which is a 10% increase since April last year.

Implementation is overseen through NHS Resolution’s Maternity Incentive Scheme, a financial incentive to encourage trusts to implement safety actions to improve maternity safety. Under Safety Action 6, National Health Service trusts are required to demonstrate that they are on track to comply with all elements of the care bundle.

To do this, trusts must meet quarterly with their integrated care board (ICB) to review implementation progress, and ICBs must confirm that providers are on track to full implementation for the trust. This local oversight approach is in line with the NHS Operating Framework.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-22)

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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a stroke team within his Department. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to improving the outcomes for patients who suffer from a stroke. The teams responsible for the policy and delivery of services related to strokes within the Department and NHS England work closely together.

Subject to Parliament passing the primary legislation that will transfer most of NHS England’s functions to the Department, there will be further opportunities to consider how the future Department can best support patients suffering from a stroke.
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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients were waiting for more than 18 weeks for treatment at the London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust at the end of (a) June 2004 and (b) June 2025. \p Karin Smyth: Monthly referral to treatment waiting times data has been published by NHS England since March 2007. The requested data for June 2004 is therefore unavailable. As of the end of June 2025, there were 38,284 pathways over 18 weeks at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust. This data is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/#Jun25

The standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18-weeks from referral to treatment came into effect in April 2012. Prior to this, national standards related to admitted or non-admitted completed pathways only. From 2015, trusts have solely been assessed on performance against the standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18-weeks from referral to treatment. Any data comparisons across these periods should therefore be treated with caution.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support NHS patient transport for (a) elderly people and (b) other patients. \p Karin Smyth: Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) are designed to provide transport for patients who have particular clinical or mobility needs that necessitate such support, which may include elderly or vulnerable patients. The eligibility criteria for NEPTS have been set nationally by NHS England, and the details are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/B1244-nepts-eligibility-criteria.pdf

The Healthcare Travel Cost Scheme (HTCS) is available for eligible patients and provides financial support to facilitate journeys to and from National Health Service funded secondary care. Details on the eligibility for HTCS is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/healthcare-travel-costs-scheme-htcs/.

Local integrated care boards (ICBs) hold responsibility for the implementation of patient transport services at a local level, including monitoring and improving against performance targets. ICBs are best placed to work and consult with their local stakeholders, health and care organisations, and local authorities to decide how to best meet and deliver for the needs of their local population.

NHS England is funding and co-ordinating a range of Patient Transport Pathfinder projects to explore more effective approaches to supporting patients with their NHS travel needs.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 69609 on Defibrillators in non-emergency ambulances, whether his Department has made an assessment of the consistency of Integrated Care Boards’ contractual requirements in respect of defibrillators on non-emergency patient transport service vehicles; and if he will take steps to ensure minimum national standards are in place. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has not made an assessment centrally. It is local NHS commissioners who are responsible for managing the NHS budget and arranging NHS healthcare services which meet the needs of their respective populations.

Patients should undergo assessment for patient transport service (PTS) journeys. If significant clinical issues are identified as part of that assessment, then the PTS provider could allocate additional measures for that patient. This might include having particular equipment, including a defibrillator, on board, and/or having crews with a higher training level.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to help protect (a) safeguarding, (b) continuing healthcare and (c) support for people with special educational needs and disabilities during the transition to the new integrated care board cluster in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. \p Karin Smyth: To support integrated care boards (ICBs) as they reduce their running costs, which includes moving to new clusters in some areas, NHS England has been working with stakeholders on further detail. NHS England has shared best practice documents in relation to NHS Continuing Healthcare, support for people with special educational needs and disabilities, and safeguarding. These documents are clear on ICBs’ statutory requirements and set out that the focus in the near term will be on spreading best practice in the delivery of these functions, ensuring the function is delivered as efficiently and effectively as possible by all ICBs.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking with (a) local authorities and (b) voluntary organisations to assist disabled people with transportation to medical appointments. \p Karin Smyth: As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. The Government is clear that reforming elective care must be done equitably and inclusively for all adults, children, and young people.

We know there is also geographical variation in waiting times. It is important that patients, including disabled patients, do not miss or cancel hospital appointments due to a lack of affordable and/or accessible transport options in their area. This is why the Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, committed to reviewing, developing and increasing the uptake of existing national health inequalities improvement initiatives. Specifically, the plan committed to reviewing local patient transport services and improving the signposting to, and the accessibility of, them for patients, to make it easier for vulnerable groups to travel to and access appointments.

NHS England are funding and co-ordinating a range of patient transport projects to explore more effective approaches to supporting patients with their NHS travel needs.

NHS England work with individual NHS organisations, local authorities, transport providers and other stakeholders to continually pilot, review, refine and propagate approaches to improving the choice, affordability, and accessibility of transport options for NHS patients.

A non-emergency patient transport service (NEPTS) provides funded transport where a medical condition means a patient cannot safely travel to receive their treatment independently. Transport may be provided by the ambulance service, independent providers, the voluntary sector and volunteers.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many consultant pathologists are employed by the NHS by (a) headcount and (b) whole time equivalent. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England, which are available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics

These statistics include staff working in hospital trusts and integrated care boards, but excludes staff working in primary care, general practitioner surgeries, local authorities, and other providers. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR), the human resources system for the National Health Service.

The data published by NHS England shows that, as of June 2024, there are 3,164 full-time equivalent and 3,515 headcount consultants in the pathology specialty group employed in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) level and (b) nature of the challenges faced by A&E staff; and what additional support he is providing to boost A&E staff morale. \p Karin Smyth: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals, including those working in accident and emergency departments. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how we will ensure that staff are better treated, have better training, and have more fulfilling roles.

We will also work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment. The new standards will reaffirm our commitment to supporting staff by tackling the issues that matter to them. They will cover access to nutritious food and drink at work, reducing violence against staff, tackling racism and sexual harassment, standards of ‘healthy work’ and occupational health support, and support for flexible working. These standards will provide a framework for leaders across the NHS to build a supportive culture to help boost morale across the workforce.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the causes of the resident doctor strikes in 2025. \p Karin Smyth: On 9 April, The British Medical Association resident doctors committee (BMA RDC) entered into dispute in relation to the timing of the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration report and subsequently ran a statutory ballot, which closed on 8 July, in response to the report and the 2025/26 pay award. They have since run another statutory ballot exclusively for their foundation year 1 members in relation to lack of training places.

Following these ballots the BMA RDC currently holds two live mandates for strike action. One is in relation to pay, which applies to all the resident doctor membership, and one is in relation to pay and training places, which applies to their foundation year 1 membership only.

They took five days of strike action from 25 to 30 July under their mandate over pay.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular engagement with resident doctors and is aware of the issues that they are experiencing as they work and train in the National Health Service. My Rt. Hon. Friend intends to continue to work with the BMA RDC to resolve their disputes and improve working conditions. This Government has already made significant improvements on the issues which impact doctors most through NHS England’s 10 Point Plan to improve resident doctors’ working lives.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to regulate fertility apps. \p Karin Smyth: No formal assessment has been made of fertility apps and no steps are being taken to regulate them. Fertility apps are privately owned health apps, and as such they do not share data directly with the Department.

Where fertility apps meet the definition of a medical device, the safety of these products already falls under the remit of the United Kingdom’s medical device regulations and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Examples of products that would fall within the remit of these regulations would be apps intended to facilitate conception and enable contraception based on basal body temperature.

Patients looking for fertility advice should speak to their general practitioner or a licensed fertility clinic. They can also find unbiased information on fertility treatments and UK licenced clinics on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s website, at the following link:

www.hfea.gov.uk
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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) increase NHS winter capacity in Chichester constituency for the 2025-26 winter period and (b) enhance public awareness of winter illness prevention. \p Karin Smyth: The National Health Service is already preparing for winter this year with the development and better testing of winter plans. This includes the surge capacity and escalation plans in place across all NHS and urgent care services including Chichester.

The UK Health Security Agency publishes the Adverse Weather and Health Plan for England, which sets out a framework for action to protect the population from harm to their health from adverse weather including excess cold.

On 20 October 2025, the Department will launch a multimedia campaign encouraging flu vaccination among people with long-term health conditions. This follows September 2025 campaigns promoting vaccination for pregnant women and children of pre-school and school age.