theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the accessibility of band five nursing roles available to newly qualified nurses with (a) less than two years' experience, (b) between two and four years' experience and (c) over four years' experience. \p Karin Smyth: Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care.

NHS England is working with employers, universities, and regional nursing leads to ensure support is in place to help graduating nurses find a role as soon as possible after qualification and transition into the workplace.
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Bambos Charalambous:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to innovative treatments for people with SOD1 motor neurone disease. \p Karin Smyth: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the Naitonal Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE aims, wherever possible, to issue guidance close to the time of licensing, and the NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.

NICE has selected tofersen for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis caused by SOD1 gene mutations as a topic for guidance development through its Highly Specialised Technology (HST) programme. The HST programme appraises medicines for the treatment of very rare, and often very severe diseases, and evaluates whether they can be considered a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. NICE is working with the company to confirm timelines for this evaluation.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure newly qualified nurses have pathways to gain clinical experience. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England is working with employers, universities, and regional nursing leads to ensure that support is in place to help graduating nurses find a role as soon as possible after qualification and transition into the workplace.

It is important that as part of their first roles, newly registered nurses are supported to embed their skills and integrate into their new team and place of work. Nursing preceptorships provide structured support for newly qualified nurses to do this as they transition into professional roles. The NHS England National Preceptorship Framework sets out that all newly qualified nurses should receive preceptorship in their first-year post-registration.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of employment opportunities for newly qualified nurses in Surrey. \p Karin Smyth: Decisions on the employment of newly qualified nurses are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts, which 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.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are working closely with NHS England, employers, universities, and regional nursing leads to ensure support is in place to help graduating nurses find a role as soon as possible after qualification and transition into the workplace.
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Adrian Ramsay:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's document entitled Dentistry Cost Survey published on 13 May 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of incorporating the results of the cost of dental services survey into (a) reform of the NHS dental contract and (b) trends in the level of funding for dentistry. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is conducting a research project to better understand the costs and pressures associated with running a dental practice in England. The aim is to support ambitions on dental reform by ensuring that the Government has an objective and accurate understanding to inform policy development. It will also improve understanding around the sustainability of the current system. As part of this research, a survey was launched on 13 May 2025 and closed 16 June 2025. We are currently reviewing and analysing the responses to understand the findings.

The results of the Dentistry Cost Survey will enhance the information and data we currently have to inform and support effective future policy measures, including dental reform.

The Government’s ambition is to deliver fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.
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Mims Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent fraud by nationwide GP chains. \p Karin Smyth: The Government takes fraud against the National Health Service extremely seriously and we will use every available tool to bring fraudsters to account. A comprehensive three-year Counter Fraud Strategy is in place and a Fraud Risk Assessment has been undertaken for contracted services within general practice, to identify fraud risks so that preventative action can be taken. The NHS Counter Fraud Authority is also in place as a dedicated special health authority tasked with leading the fight against fraud, bribery, and corruption in the NHS in England. Where allegations of fraud are received, they will be thoroughly investigated, and appropriate action will be taken.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff in his Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based. \p Karin Smyth: The Department approves temporary international remote working for staff to work remotely overseas for short defined periods of time where there is critical business need or unforeseen personal circumstances that require immediate attention outside of the United Kingdom. The Department approved 73 cases of international remote working for Department staff between 4 July 2024 and 4 July 2025. The destinations that we have approved for international remote working cases are as follows Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and USA. The Department has no approved permanent postings outside of the UK.
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Mims Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has issued guidance on the maximum distance that a patient should travel to see their registered GP. \p Stephen Kinnock: As part of the arrangements for the provision of primary medical services, general practices (GPs) are required to agree an area within which they will accept patients onto their list. This ensures there is a sufficient distribution of GPs for all patients in England and provides for an area in which practices feel they are able to provide home visits, should they be needed.

Changes to the GP Contract arrangements in 2014/15 brought in a measure allowing GPs to register patients from outside their catchment areas without a duty to provide home visits for such patients.

If the practice feels it is not clinically appropriate or practical for the patient to be registered so far away from home, it can still refuse registration, but should explain the reason for doing so.
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Mohammad Yasin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the pathway into paramedicine is accessible to (a) mature students and (b) career changers, in the context of the requirement for new paramedics to hold a BSc qualification. \p Karin Smyth: Paramedicine students are able to access the Learning Support Fund (LSF), a non-repayable grant of £5,000 per academic year. Further financial support is available for childcare, travel, and dual accommodation costs while on clinical placements. Students studying paramedicine as a second degree are also able to access the LSF, subject to meeting other eligibility criteria. Apprenticeships offer an alternative training route for those for whom a full-time university course is not practical or preferred, allowing people to earn as they learn.

Pathways can also be shortened, depending on the level of someone's prior learning, via a process called Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL), which recognises previous learning and experience. People with non-traditional qualifications can apply to universities to determine if their skills, knowledge, and abilities may be recognised via APEL.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of hysteroscopies that were stopped early because of intolerable patient pain in the NHS in England in 2024. \p Karin Smyth: The data requested is not held.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will implement mandatory clinician guidelines for hysteroscopies to (a) minimise pain and (b) promote informed decision making. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises that some procedures, such as hysteroscopy, can result in pain, and the level of pain experienced will vary between individual women. It is important that healthcare professionals provide women with information prior to their procedure so that women can make an informed decisions about the procedure and pain relief options, including the option of local or general anaesthetic.

Clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to provide evidence-based care. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) published an updated guideline on outpatient hysteroscopy in September 2024. The updated guideline has reference to minimising pain and discomfort during hysteroscopy procedures. While RCOG guidelines are not mandatory, they are designed to support high-quality care, and the Department and NHS England encourages local implementation tailored to patient needs. This is available at the following link:

https://www.rcog.org.uk/guidance/browse-all-guidance/green-top-guidelines/outpatient-hysteroscopy-green-top-guideline-no-59/

Letters and information sent to patients are determined at a local level by individual National Health Service trusts. A range of additional information is available for patients on hysteroscopy procedures, including on the NHS website, and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has created a patient information resource on hysteroscopy. This is available at the following link:

https://www.rcog.org.uk/outpatient-hysteroscopy

As with all procedures, healthcare professionals are expected to fully explain the procedure in advance, including expected symptoms, side effects, and risks. These conversations should be undertaken using a shared decision-making approach that ensures individuals are supported to make decisions that are right for them. This provides a collaborative process through which a clinician supports a patient to reach a decision about their treatment, bringing together the clinician’s expertise, such as treatment options, evidence, risks and benefits, with the patient’s preferences, personal circumstances and values. NHS England has published guidelines on the use of shared decision making.
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Mohammad Yasin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to make second-degree Paramedic Science students eligible for (a) student finance and (b) the NHS Learning Support Fund. \p Karin Smyth: Students studying paramedicine as a second degree are able to access the Learning Support Fund (LSF), subject to meeting the other eligibility criteria. The LSF comprises a non-repayable training grant of £5,000 per academic year. Further financial support is available for childcare and travel and dual accommodation costs while on clinical placements.

Access to student loans is governed by The Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011 (as amended) and is a matter for the Department for Education.

The Government keeps the funding arrangements for all healthcare courses, including paramedicine, under close review.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2025 to Question 65734 on Sodium Valproate: Women, whether his Department holds information on the number of women between the ages of 18 and 52 who were prescribed sodium valproate in 2024. \p Karin Smyth: The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) holds prescription data relating to drugs and appliances dispensed within a community setting in England.

The number of female patients between the ages of 18 and 52 years old who were prescribed sodium valproate in England in 2024 was approximately 14,600.

The data is based on figures extracted from the NHSBSA ePACT2 database, which includes all National Health Service prescriptions prescribed in England and dispensed within a community setting, held for the chemical substance of sodium valproate, where the prescriptions have been submitted to the NHSBSA by dispensing contractors for the payment of the supply of drugs and the associated services.
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Alberto Costa:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding strategies his Department is considering to ensure hospices remain (a) competitive and (b) sustainable. \p Stephen Kinnock: Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The statutory guidance states 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 catchment.

As set out in the Government’s recently published 10-Year Health Plan, we are determined to shift more care out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative care and end of life care services, including hospices, will have a big role to play in that shift, and were highlighted in the plan as being an integral part of neighbourhood teams.

I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all- age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan. The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end-of-life care services to support a reduction in variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of establishment of the Staff Treatment Hubs announced in the 10 Year Health Plan. \p Karin Smyth: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out staff treatment hubs that will ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health, including support for mental health and back conditions.

The commitment to staff treatment hubs draws on various evidence sources including the NHS England internal Staff Treatment Access Review, which demonstrated the clear productivity and economic argument for investing in the health of our National Health Service staff, particularly focusing on mental health and musculoskeletal treatment services as the main drivers of sickness absence in the NHS, as well as wider sectors.

Following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan on 3 July 2025, work is underway to develop implementation and operational plans for the staff treatment hubs. This will determine factors such as location, budgets, timeframes, and capacity.
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Alberto Costa:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to support hospices to (a) attract and (b) retain their workforce. \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.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. The funding will alleviate immediate pressures on hospice finances, enabling them to invest in infrastructure over the longer term. It will allow hospices to create an improved physical environment with enhanced facilities and will allow them to focus their attention and wider resources on providing the best quality care to patients.

Some hospices, however, are NHS services. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create an NHS workforce in England ready to deliver a transformed service. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it. From now on, we will ensure that staff will be better treated, have better training, more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future, so they can achieve more.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of public transport to and from other healthcare centres around Launceston, in the context of the upcoming closure of Launceston Minor Injuries Unit. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is aware of the temporary closure of the Launceston Minor Injuries Unit (MIU), which is a decision that was made due to staffing challenges. The responsibility for the delivery, implementation, and funding decisions for services ultimately rests with the appropriate National Health Service commissioning body, which in this case is the NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board (ICB), rather than the Government. This includes the responsibility to conduct an impact assessment on traveling, provision of services, and an equality impact assessment. The Government has been informed that the Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust completed an Equality Impact Assessment for the closure, which identified the impact to be increased travel time or distance to an alternative MIU.

In some scenarios, such as this one, the NHS provider may need to make a temporary service change due to a risk to safety or the welfare of patients or staff. These temporary changes do not represent a permanent or irreversible decision about an NHS service. Permanent changes would only be possible by following the due process, including appropriate engagement with people and communities.

The Government expects the local NHS to develop clear plans for reverting temporary service changes. If this cannot be done safely, the ICB will need to develop plans for a permanent solution by following the due process, including appropriate engagement with people and communities.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps to ensure that the public are (a) consulted and (b) involved in decisions on the use of public-private partnerships in the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: The business case to assess the feasibility of using a public-private partnership (PPP) model for Neighbourhood Health Centres is being co-developed by the Department of Health and Social Care and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority.

The business case will set out the potential for a PPP model and an assessment of the value for money so that a final decision on the approach can be taken by the time of the 2025 Budget in the autumn. If a decision is taken to proceed, then further market engagement will take place on the model and approach. The location of, and services provided through, Neighbourhood Health Centres will be decided at a local level by the NHS and other stakeholders, based on the local needs of patients.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 16662 on NHS: Public Consultation, if he will provide a full breakdown of the total costs incurred. \p Karin Smyth: Following an invitation to tender competition process, we appointed Thinks Insight, Kaleidoscope Health and Care, and the Institute For Public Policy Research to support us to run the engagement exercise for the 10-Year Health Plan. The details of this award and the redacted contract can be found on contracts finder, at the following link:

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/80963989-c4d6-4a16-8e12-c31b43a81dda

The awarded value of the contract was up to £2,961,595.50, with an option to vary to £3,500,000 in the event that the scope of the contract evolves. Following the conclusion of the engagement exercise and launch of the 10-Year Health Plan, the contract cost is £3,336,483.50.

The increase in costs was largely due to the high number of responses received during the engagement exercise, and the ensuing analysis required. The number of responses received during the engagement exercise significantly exceeded the estimates provided by any of the prospective suppliers bidding for the contract. In total, the Department received over 270,000 contributions, making it the largest ever conversation on the future of the National Health Service.
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Damien Egan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children nearing the end of life can access palliative care at home. \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 and end of life care. 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 and service specifications.  The statutory guidance requires ICBs to work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of palliative and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. This funding will also help to develop and better outreach services to support people in their own homes when needed.

Additionally, we are 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.

I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all- age palliative and end of life care, including services provided at, or closer to, home, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan. It is our intention to work together with 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.
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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing for people who have been diagnosed with PTSD in Greater Manchester. \p Stephen Kinnock: The NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board is responsible for commissioning services to meet the mental health needs of people across Greater Manchester.

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing is recommended as a treatment option for adults with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. People with post-traumatic stress disorder may be able to access it through local NHS Talking Therapies services.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had discussions with the Dorset Integrated Care Board on the use of the electronic prescription service in all care settings. \p Karin Smyth: No discussions have been held between the Department and the Dorset Integrated Care Board on the use of the electronic prescription service (EPS) in all care settings.

NHS Dorset has been collaborating with providers of healthcare under the National Health Service’s service agreements to work with suppliers to enable EPS solutions in all environments, commencing in outpatient environments. Independent service provider contracts on renewal or in tender will prioritise EPS as a service requirement.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many buildings managed by his Department have been found to have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire. \p Karin Smyth: The National Health Service has been surveying hospital sites to identify the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) since 2019. The table below shows the number of NHS sites found to have RAAC in the Fylde constituency and Lancashire:

Area

Number of sites

Fyle Constituency

0

Lancashire

3

Note: the three sites in Lancashire were the Blackpool Victoria Hospital, now eradicated, the Royal Blackburn Hospital, and the Blackburn Ambulance Station.

The Department has published a full list of sites with confirmed RAAC on GOV.UK website, at the following link:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-in-hospitals-management-information

Once the presence of RAAC is confirmed at a hospital site, the trust joins NHS England’s national RAAC programme, which has delivered mitigation and eradication works across all hospital sites with confirmed RAAC to keep facilities safe and open, and which is working to remove RAAC fully from the NHS estate.

The Government is committed to removing RAAC from the NHS estate as a priority and will continue to support NHS England’s RAAC programme with £440 million in 2025/26.
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Helena Dollimore:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle shortages of Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy. \p Karin Smyth: The Department is aware of ongoing intermittent supply issues with pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) and is continuing to work with all suppliers of PERT to help resolve the supply issues in the short and longer term. This includes asking that they expedite deliveries, source stock from other markets, and increase production. Through these discussions we have managed to secure additional volumes for 2025 for the United Kingdom. The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market.

In the longer term, the Department has had interest from non-UK suppliers of PERT wishing to bring their products to the UK and, along with colleagues in the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, we are working with these potential suppliers, and if authorised, these products could further diversify and strengthen the market.

The Department has issued management advice to healthcare professionals which directs clinicians to unlicensed imports when licensed stock is unavailable, and which includes actions for integrated care boards to ensure local mitigation plans are implemented. The Department, in collaboration with NHS England, has created a public facing page to include the latest update on PERT availability and easily accessible prescribing advice for clinicians.

The Department will continue to work closely with the manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible, to ensure patients have continuous access to medicines.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to support for people with anxiety in Yeovil constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board is responsible for commissioning services to meet the mental health needs of the people in Yeovil.

People with anxiety can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies or their general practitioner can refer them. NHS Talking Therapies offer evidence-based psychological therapies to help with common mental health problems such as anxiety.

Nationally, the Government is investing an extra £688 million this year to transform mental health services by hiring more staff, delivering more talking therapies, and getting waiting lists down. We are delivering on our commitment to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers for children and adults by the end of this Parliament.  6,700 of these workers have been recruited since July 2024, meaning we are more than halfway towards our target.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce elective care backlogs at hospitals in the North East. \p Karin Smyth: As of May 2025, the latest available data, the total waiting list in the North East and Yorkshire region stood at 990,884, with 67.1% waiting within 18 weeks, which is better than the national average of 60.9%.

Since May 2024, the waiting list in North East and Yorkshire region has decreased by 19,141, and 18-week performance has improved by 1.7%. The North East and Yorkshire region includes:

We have committed to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. There are a range of efforts underway, nationally and in the North East, to reduce the time patients are waiting for elective care.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts we will undertake to return to the 18-week standard, and to ensure patients have the best possible experience while they wait. This includes addressing the challenges in diagnostic waiting times, providing the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests that are needed to reduce elective and cancer waits.

We have supported this with additional investment in the autumn and spring Spending Reviews, which has allowed us to exceed our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered 4.6 million additional appointments up to the end of April 2025.

Furthermore, in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Department has set out a transformed vision for elective care by 2035, where the majority of interactions no longer take place in a hospital building, instead happening virtually or via neighbourhood services. Planned care will be more efficient, timely, and effective.
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Yasmin Qureshi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the average increase in the cost of running a dental practice in the last 12 months. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is conducting a research project to better understand the costs and pressures associated with running a dental practice in England.

As part of this research, a survey was launched on 13 May and closed on 16 June 2025. This included questions on laboratory fees and dental materials as well as other associated costs with running a dental practice.

We are currently reviewing and analysing the responses to understand the findings.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_114

John Whitby:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS dentistry receives adequate investment from new NHS funds allocated to the Department through the Spending Review. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department settlement announced at the 2025 Spending Review means that annual National Health Service day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms, a £53 billion cash increase, by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. This will take the NHS resource budget to £226 billion by 2028/29, the equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the Spending Review period.

The details of budget allocations within departments are still being determined. The Department is working to provide the detail and certainty needed on future funding and spending plans, including for NHS dentistry.

NHS planning guidance for 2025/26 confirms that dental budgets are ringfenced. Planning guidance also confirms that improving access to urgent dental appointments is a key national priority.
wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_115
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_115

Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who has been commissioned to develop the business case for the proposed public private partnerships for neighbourhood health centres in the NHS 10 year plan; which (a) companies and (b) other organisations expressed an interest; and whether (i) patients, (ii) other members of the public and (iii) NHS staff will be part of the decision-making process. \p Karin Smyth: The business case is being co-developed with the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority and the Department. A preliminary market engagement notice was issued on 1 July 2025, which is available at the following link:

https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/xx-xxxx-xxxx

Responses from companies who are interested in this opportunity are commercially sensitive and so cannot be shared.

The business case will set out the potential for a public private partnerships model and an assessment of value for money so that a final decision on the approach can be taken by the time of the 2025 Budget in the autumn. If a decision is taken to proceed then further market engagement will take place on the model and approach. The location of, and services provided through, Neighbourhood Health Centres will be decided at a local level by the National Health Service and other stakeholders, based on the local needs of patients.
wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_116
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_116

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring NHS England to establish an agreement in principle with pharmaceutical companies that commercial flexibility may be granted for a multi-indication medicine pending the outcome of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence evaluation of such medicines. \p Karin Smyth: Indication-specific pricing can support access to treatments, including for rare conditions, by enabling companies to propose a specific price for smaller indications that would otherwise be commercially unviable under a uniform price.

In January 2025, following public consultation, NHS England published an updated NHS Commercial Framework for New Medicines, setting out their approach for assessing the eligibility of medicines with multiple indications to qualify for indication-specific pricing.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been able to recommend many medicines licensed for the treatment of rare and very rare diseases through its standard technology appraisal process which are now available to National Health Service patients in England. In addition, NICE operates a separate Highly Specialised Technologies evaluation programme for medicines that meet specific criteria for very rare conditions. This programme applies a higher cost-effectiveness threshold than standard appraisals to support access to treatments for very rare conditions.

As set out in the Life Sciences Sector plan, we will be introducing a new and proportionate approach to NICE appraisals and NHS indication-specific based pricing agreements for medicines with large numbers of indications, strong long-term outcome data, and low affordability risk.

The NHS Commercial Framework encourages early and open dialogue between companies and NHS England where indication-specific pricing or other commercial flexibilities may be needed to support access to treatments. NHS England is open to providing early guidance on such arrangements and to working with companies to explore suitable commercial options.
wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_117
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_117

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are on the waiting list for tinnitus treatment in Fylde constituency. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not hold information in the format requested.
wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_118
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_118

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to improve incontinence care provided by the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: Millions of men, women, young people, and children of all ages are living with bowel and bladder problems. All continence problems can be debilitating and life changing. They affect a wide range of care groups and can be a particular concern for the ageing population.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published five guidelines on the management of urinary and faecal incontinence to date. These guidelines cover the management of urinary incontinence in people with neurological disease, the prevention and management of pelvic floor dysfunction, and pelvic organ prolapse in women. NICE has also published a further 14 products in relation to urinary incontinence and 12 in relation to faecal incontinence.

The Department has also commissioned NICE to produce late-stage assessment guidance on one-piece closed bags for colostomies and intermittent urethral catheters for chronic incomplete bladder emptying in adults. These late-stage assessments gather the views of clinical experts and patients to help NICE assess and compare the value of products in widespread use across the National Health Service.

The NHS must also have regard to the Excellence in Continence Care guidance, published in 2018. This provides advice for commissioners, providers, and healthcare staff on understanding and addressing continence needs within their local population. This guidance is supported by British Society of Urogynaecology. Further information on the Excellence in Continence Care guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/excellence-in-continence-care/

NHS England has also produced Safer Bowel Care for Patients at Risk of Autonomic Dysreflexia, a serious medical emergency that can occur in people with spinal cord injuries, which offers resources to support safer bowel care practice and highlights the importance of implementing the Excellence in Continence Care framework.

In addition to national guidance, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has professional standards relating to bladder and bowel nursing care. The NMC Code places strong emphasis on the principle of “Prioritising People”, which sets out the expectation that registrants should always respond to individual patient needs.

NHS England is also developing a best practice catheter care pathway across all settings to be completed by the end of this year.

Our focus on the shift from hospital to community will help to drive more joint working in neighborhoods between primary care, pharmacies, community health care, and social care, to help people to manage incontinence at home, by giving them access to the right self-care, the right professional support, so they aren’t passed from service to service, and reducing their need for emergency admissions to hospital.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_119

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making it a mandatory requirement for defibrillators to be fitted in patient transport vehicles. \p Karin Smyth: Many non-emergency patient transport service (NEPTS) ambulances operated by National Health Service trusts already carry a defibrillator.

However, the contractual requirements for the provision of NEPTS services are determined by each integrated care board (ICB), based on their assessment of the needs of the local population. Therefore, each ICB can determine whether they wish to specify the carrying of a defibrillator on non-emergency ambulances as a contractual requirement, along with the cost and crew training implications.

Patients undergo regular 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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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_120

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 67568 on Obesity: Drugs, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients accessing weight loss medications through private online platforms undergo appropriate clinical assessments and safeguarding procedures. \p Karin Smyth: Prescribers, whether National Health Service or private, are accountable for their prescribing decisions, and are expected to take account of appropriate national guidance.

In addition to the duty of the prescriber, patients themselves must be honest when providing information to an online prescriber so that they receive advice and medicines which are appropriate for them and so that risks can be managed. Prescribers need full information to be able to prescribe safely.

In February 2025, the General Pharmaceutical Council published updated guidance for online pharmacies. Prescribers are expected to verify the information given to them by the patient to ensure any medicines prescribed are appropriate, for example, through a video consultation, using a patient’s clinical record, or contacting the patient’s general practice. This helps to safeguard vulnerable patients, including minors.