theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to remove parental (a) income and (b) education levels as factors in cases of maternity clinical negligence. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.

As announced in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC will be providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs and how we can improve patients’ experience of clinical negligence claims, ahead of a review by the Department in the autumn. The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point.
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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the the availability of training programmes on (a) PANS and (b) PANDAS for NHS staff. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Information on the number of children and young adults with paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcus (PANDAS) is not collected at present as there are no internationally agreed criteria to identify these conditions. The PANS PANDAS Steering Group is currently working on a consensus for case identification to support a national survey.

Due to the emerging nature of the evidence base there is currently a lack of consensus on what good clinical practice and training on PANS and PANDAS may look like, and no assessments have therefore been made.
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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to improve cancer waiting times in Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to improving outcomes for cancer patients across England, including in Ely and East Cambridgeshire.

The Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has a strong track record in delivering the cancer performance standards over the years. There is a comprehensive action plan to address the recent deterioration in the waiting times that patients are experiencing for cancer diagnostics and treatment. This includes the provision of additional consultant appointments and theatre lists, as well as recruitment to expand capacity across a number of treatment pathways, with breast, urology, and skin cancer services identified as specific priorities to meet local needs.

A new Cancer Operational Taskforce has been launched to drive the delivery of the actions required to improve cancer waiting times for patients, including those who reside within the Ely constituency area.

The Department will publish a National Cancer Plan which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across England, speed up diagnosis and treatment, and ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.

Reducing inequalities is also a key priority for the National Cancer Plan. The plan will look at the targeted improvements needed across different cancer types to reduce disparities in cancer survival and will develop interventions to tackle these. This includes looking at protected characteristics, as well as inequalities related to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and geographic location. We know that people living in deprived areas are less likely to have their cancers diagnosed at an early stage, when treatment can be more effective, and we want to reduce the gap in early diagnosis between those living in the richest and poorest areas through the National Cancer Plan.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of staffing shortages on patient and staff safety in psychiatric wards in Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: As of July 2025, the Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust’s in-patient settings achieved a fill rate of above 90% for planned rostered hours, as clinically required. Fill rates are a key metric for monitoring whether enough staff are available to meet patient needs.

The trust is also required to report care hours per patient day monthly. The most recent figures for the trust and Harbour hospital were 12.9, and 16 respectively. This is above the national average of 9, and the highest out of all mental health trusts in the North West region.

Nationally, the Government has also committed to recruiting an additional 8,500 mental health workers by the end of this Parliament, to ease pressure on busy mental health services. We are more than halfway towards our target.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide mental health support to carers in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: We recognise people with mental health issues, including carers in Surrey Heath have been historically underserved. That is why the 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country. This includes transforming mental health services into neighbourhood mental health centres that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, improving assertive outreach, expanding talking therapies, and giving patients better access to around-the-clock support directly through the NHS App.

Local authorities have duties to support unpaid carers and are required to deliver sustainable, high-quality care and support services. To help local authorities fulfil their duties, including to unpaid carers, the 2025 Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.
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Andrew George:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure timely public health messaging on avian influenza in coastal tourist areas during periods of increased seabird mortality. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have a range of communication messages ready for use for avian influenza.

For coastal tourist areas, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has created guidance relating to wild birds. Guidance relating to reporting dead wild birds is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/report-dead-wild-birds

In addition, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ guidance on the removal and disposal of dead wild birds is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/removing-and-disposing-of-dead-wild-birds#removing-dead-wild-birds-on-public-land-private-land-and-managed-estates

The UKHSA has also published broader public health guidance on the general risk, not specific to wild birds, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu-advice-for-the-public-on-staying-safe/avian-influenza-bird-flu-advice-for-the-public-on-staying-safe-by-minimising-contact-with-wild-birds

Land managers and local authorities are also able to use a range of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ communication messages, including posters, to spread these messages, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu-posters-for-land-managers
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure the NHS Find a dentist online service contains accurate information. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is a contractual requirement for National Health Service dentists to update their NHS website profiles at least every 90 days to ensure patients have up-to-date information on where they can access care. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients. Integrated care boards review which practices in their area have not updated their profile in a 90-day period, and work with practices to ensure websites are up to date.
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Andrew George:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of NHS and UKHSA laboratory surge capacity for testing suspected human infections with avian influenza in 2025–26. \p Ashley Dalton: While specific surge-throughput figures for 2025/26 are not published, the Department, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), and NHS England continue to work together to ensure sufficient laboratory capacity, clear escalation routes, and rapid confirmatory testing for suspected human infections.

Where avian influenza is clinically suspected, testing is delivered through National Health Service medical microbiology services across England’s pathology networks, with confirmatory testing undertaken within the UKHSA’s laboratory system.

The UKHSA is the Government’s standing capability for developing and delivering diagnostic testing for emerging infectious diseases. Molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the primary method for detecting avian influenza A in human samples. Building on the capability scaled during the COVID-19 response, much of the PCR infrastructure, such as analyser platforms and containment spaces, and some of the workforce resilience has been retained across NHS laboratories, with further efforts under way to enhance resilience specifically within the UKHSA’s laboratory network, some of which are shared facilities with the NHS.

The UKHSA is currently developing additional capacity at Porton Down and other UKHSA laboratories. This aims to surge capacity to 25,000 PCR tests per day within a six-week timeframe. The UKHSA also has 47,600 multiplex lateral flow device tests available, which test for influenza A, influenza B, and COVID-19, with a further stock of 49,950 undergoing quality control.
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Andrew George:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department has issued on (a) PPE, (b) testing and (c) post-exposure prophylaxis for workers exposed to animals infected with avian influenza; and whether she plans to provide financial support for workers required to self-isolate following exposure. \p Ashley Dalton: The latest guidance for those exposed to birds or other animals with influenza A(H5) was published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on 28 August 2025. It includes consideration of personal protective equipment (PPE), testing, and post-exposure prophylaxis, and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-managing-human-exposures-to-incidents-in-birds-or-animals/guidance-for-the-management-of-people-exposed-to-birds-or-other-animals-infected-with-influenza-ah5

The UKHSA’s guidance refers to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance document about avoiding the risk of infection when working with poultry that is suspected of having H5 or H7 notifiable avian influenza. This recommends that PPE should be worn at all times when working in a potentially infected environment but does not require self-isolation if an individual is exposed to animals infected with influenza A(H5). The HSE guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/assets/docs/aisuspected.pdf

Information on benefits and financial support if someone is temporarily unable to work because they’re ill or self-isolating is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/unable-to-work
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Chris Bloore:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to support GPs (a) with professional training and (b) to update their clinical knowledge on the less survivable cancers. \p Karin Smyth: All registered doctors in the United Kingdom are expected to meet the professional standards set by the General Medical Council (GMC). In 2012, the GMC introduced revalidation, which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice.

General practitioners (GPs) are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.

The training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and has to meet the standards set by the GMC. The RCGP provides several resources on cancer prevention, diagnosis, and care for GPs, relevant for the primary care setting.

We are investing an additional £1.1 billion in GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26, the biggest increase in over a decade. The 8.9% boost to the GP Contract in 2025/26 is bigger than the 5.8% growth to the NHS budget as a whole, demonstrating our commitment to shifting resources to the community.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2025 to Question 74038 on Department of Health and Social Care: Social Media, how much his Department has spent on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024 by influencer. \p Karin Smyth: The specific information breakdown requested is commercially confidential. However, significant payments to companies, £25,000 and over, are published by month as part of the Department’s transparency data. This includes companies used to deliver ‘influencer’ activity. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/spending-over-25-000--2
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Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether grassroots football organisations are eligible for public health funding. \p Ashley Dalton: Grassroots football organisations can be eligible for local public health funding at the discretion of local authorities, and where the main and primary purpose of spend is on public health.

Core funding for local authorities’ public health responsibilities is funded through the Public Health Grant. This funds a range of health improvement services, such as physical activity and weight management services, and where appropriate, could include funding community organisations that provide grassroots football. Local authorities are responsible for deciding how best to allocate their funding, including their Public Health Grant, to improve the health of their population and fulfil their public health responsibilities.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how to build movement back into everyday life and includes £400 million of Government investment into new and upgraded grassroots sports facilities that promote health, wellbeing, and community cohesion.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of adequacy of the time taken to recruit (a) allied health professionals, (b) doctors and (c) nurses in each of the last five years; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the time taken to recruit allied health professionals on (i) rehabilitation and (iI) elective services. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has made no specific assessment of the adequacy of the time taken to recruit allied health professionals, doctors, and nurses in each of the last five years.

Currently, the Department has no plans to make an assessment on the potential impact of the time taken to recruit allied health professionals on rehabilitation and elective services.

NHS England published its planning guidance for 2025/26 in January 2025. This guidance sets out clear priorities for the National Health Service, including the delivery of the interim electives ambition that nationally, 65% of patients are seen within 18 weeks, along with an expected minimum 5% improvement on current performance for each trust, as set out in the Elective Reform Plan. It is for trusts and integrated care boards to manage the recruitment and staffing of all professions to deliver on these priorities within their agreed financial allocations.

On 11 August 2025, the Government announced the Graduate Guarantee for nurses and midwives. The guarantee will ensure that there are enough positions for every newly qualified nurse and midwife in England. The package of measures will unlock thousands of jobs and will ensure thousands of new posts are easier to access by removing barriers for NHS trusts, creating opportunities for graduates and ensuring a seamless transition from training to employment.
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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of specialty training posts for UK-trained doctors in the South West. \p Karin Smyth: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan published in July, over the next three years we will create 1,000 new speciality training posts in England with a focus on specialities where there is the greatest need.

The 10-Year Health Plan also set out that we will work across the Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training.

We will set out next steps across the country in due course.
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Jonathan Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to support the continued (a) development and (b) implementation of NHS England’s elective toolkit given NHS England's planned abolition. \p Karin Smyth: The NHS England Elective toolkit does not have one single function, as there are multiple different toolkits available. For example, the Children and young people’s elective recovery toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time toolkit, to support the development of elective surgical hubs.

As part of the transformation programme, we are reviewing the appropriate options to merge existing functions between NHS England and the Department, to ensure we maintain progress on tackling the elective waiting list. We will continue to support the wider system through the transformation and will ensure they have the tools and resources available to deliver on the commitments outlined by the Government.

Cutting elective care waiting lists is a key priority for the Government, and the steps we have taken have resulted in a 220,000 reduction in the waiting list over the last year.

We have now exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered 5.2 million more appointments. This marks a vital first step to delivering on the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, in line with the National Health Service constitutional standard, by March 2029. We will create an NHS fit for the future, modernising care so that it takes place efficiently and closer to home, prioritising patient experience and ensuring that wherever you live in England, you will be seen, diagnosed, and treated in a timely way.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of Trusts have designated recruitment teams focused on elective care specialties; and whether he plans on rolling out this initiative to more Trusts. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not hold information on how many and what proportion of trusts have designated recruitment teams focused on elective care specialties.

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.

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.
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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that veterans who leave the armed forces can access NHS dental care. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are working to improve access to National Health Service dentistry, which will also benefit our valued members of the Armed Forces community, including our respected veterans who have spent their careers defending our country.

We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists. The Government’s ambition is to deliver fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament. Veterans will be able to benefit from the improved access these changes bring.

We are also supporting more than 1,500 children in British military families overseas through our supervised toothbrushing programme. Free NHS dental care is available to people who meet the following criteria:
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of regional retention offers on reducing (a) workforce turnover and (b) waiting list lengths. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has not made an assessment of the potential impact of staffing shortages in non-clinical roles, workforce burnout, reductions in the number of interim board positions, or regional retention offers on waiting lists, or of creating temporary cross-trust staffing pools for specialties with high waiting times. No assessment has been made of the potential impact of regional retention offers on reducing workforce turnover.

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. The Government plans to introduce a new set of standards for modern employment in April 2026. The new standards will reaffirm our commitment to improving retention by tackling the issues that matter to staff, including promoting flexible working, improving staff health and wellbeing, and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace.

The health and wellbeing of all NHS staff is a top priority. NHS organisations have a responsibility to create supportive working environments for staff, ensuring they have the conditions they need to thrive, including access to high quality health and wellbeing support. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out Staff Treatment hubs to ensure all staff have access to high quality occupational health support, including for mental health.

NHS England published its planning guidance for 2025/26 in January 2025. This guidance sets out clear priorities for the NHS, including the delivery of the interim electives ambition that nationally, 65% of patients are seen within 18 weeks, along with an expected minimum 5% improvement on current performance for each trust, as set out in the Elective Reform Plan. Trusts and integrated care boards are expected to manage the staffing of all professions to deliver on these priorities within their agreed financial allocations.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the proportion of ambulance call-outs that were related to (a) drug and (b) alcohol use in each of the last five years. \p Karin Smyth: This information is not held centrally.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the quality of (a) maternity and (b) neonatal services in each of the 14 NHS Trusts chosen for the maternity and neonatal investigation. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has not selected which trusts to include in the independent maternity and neonatal investigation.

The 14 NHS trusts were selected by the independent investigation based on a variety of factors, including results from the Care Quality Commission’s maternity patient survey and Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK’s perinatal mortality rates, in addition to variation in case mix, trust type, geographic coverage, provision of care to individuals from diverse backgrounds, and family feedback. Three of the trusts have been included due to their inclusion in previous investigations, these three trusts being the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, and the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.

The chair’s selection of the 14 trusts has been made with a view to ensuring a diverse mix of trusts, including variation in case mix, trust type, geographic and demographic coverage and views expressed by families. By taking this approach, the investigation can capture learning from a wide range of provision and experiences, ensuring that the findings are relevant across the system.

The Department does not specifically hold data on whether National Health Service trusts are high performing, poor performing, and/or substantially improved. The latest available data on all 14 trusts is available at the following link:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/
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Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department’s policy is on the use of cash for food vendor payments in NHS hospitals. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not have a policy on the use of cash for the payment of food vendors in National Health Service hospitals. These decisions are taken locally by NHS organisations.
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Anna Dixon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of funding for the NHS was spent on (a) legal costs and (b) compensation related to employment tribunals in each of the last five financial years, broken down by NHS Trust. \p Karin Smyth: Neither the Department nor NHS England hold information which breaks down the proportion of National Health Service funding that was spent on legal costs and compensation relating to employment tribunals.
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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the total staff remuneration paid through NHS Professionals Bank staff contracts in the last 12 months. \p Karin Smyth: Bank staffing allows the National Health Service to meet workforce demand fluctuations without the need to increase capacity above that which is required on a sustained basis. NHS Professionals pay bank members in accordance with rates set by its NHS clients. The total staff remuneration paid through NHS Professionals’ bank staff contracts for 2024/25, the year ending March 2025, was approximately £1.1 billion.

This information is publicly available as part of NHS Professionals’ Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ending 31 March 2025, at the following link:

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/xx-xxxx-xxxx/filing-history
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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the number of (a) severe trauma and (b) other injuries cause by e-bikes on the NHS; and what steps his Department is taking to help support the NHS to treat those injuries. \p Karin Smyth: The information requested is not held centrally and no assessment has been made by the Department.

More broadly, the Government is supporting National Health Service urgent and emergency care services through our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, which is backed by nearly £450 million.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has undertaken modelling on the potential impact of (a) retention incentives, (b) flexible working policies and (c) bursaries for different staff groups on waiting lists. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has not undertaken any such modelling. It is known that in the National Health Service, an engaged and supported workforce leads to better patient care. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.

To support this ambition, the Government plans to introduce a new set of standards for flexible modern NHS employment in April 2026. The new standards will reaffirm our commitment to improving retention by tackling the issues that matter to staff including promoting flexible working, improving staff health and wellbeing, and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace. They will provide a framework for leaders across the NHS to build a supportive culture that embeds retention.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the adequacy of the workforce capacity in community settings to help reduce pressure on elective backlogs. \p Karin Smyth: The 10-Year Health Plan committed to shifting care from the hospital to the community and to introducing Neighbourhood Health Services to bring together teams of professionals closer to people’s homes to work together to provide comprehensive care in the community. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver these transformed services. The plan will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure childcare policy supports the recruitment and retention of student nurses as part of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, updated on 22 April 2024. \p Karin Smyth: The Department for Education provides the primary funding support package for English domiciled students in higher education through the student loans system. Eligible students can also apply for the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance.

The Department of Health and Social Care provides eligible healthcare students, including student nurses, with supplementary, non-repayable support via the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF). This includes a £5,000 training grant for all students eligible for the LSF and a further £2,000 per academic year for those students with childcare responsibility. These funding arrangements are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.

We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan (10YWP) to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. This 10YWP will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) electronic patient records and (b) associated systems in the NHS. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: We are improving National Health Service electronic patient records (EPRs) through a £2 billion investment in IT systems, the implementation of a Frontline Digitisation programme, and the approval of new general practice IT systems to increase digital maturity across secondary and primary care. The programme is forecasting to achieve 98% EPR coverage by March 2026, with the remaining 2% of NHS trusts advanced in their plans for an EPR.

This aims to reduce administrative tasks, improve data access for better patient outcomes, and foster collaboration by replacing paper records with digital ones.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has set targets for reducing waiting lists by aligning them with (a) workforce growth and (b) deployment metrics. \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. NHS England published its planning guidance for 2025/26 in January 2025. This guidance sets out clear priorities for the National Health Service, including the delivery of the interim electives ambition that nationally, 65% of patients are seen within 18 weeks, along with an expected minimum 5% improvement on current performance for each trust, as set out in the Elective Reform Plan. It is for trusts and integrated care boards to manage the staffing of all professions to deliver on these priorities within their agreed financial allocations.

We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. They will be more empowered, more flexible, and more fulfilled. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.
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Jonathan Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to continue supporting the implementation of NHS England’s acute aortic dissection toolkit after the proposed abolition of NHS England. \p Karin Smyth: The Department will continue to support the implementation of NHS England’s acute aortic dissection toolkit.

In 2022, NHS England published the Acute Aortic Dissection Toolkit to support service transformation across England. Initial implementation support was provided by NHS England’s national team, however, responsibility for implementation has now transitioned to regional commissioning teams and integrated care boards, to oversee and monitor progress. The toolkit includes self-assessment questionnaires for providers and clinical networks to use as part of their assurance and monitoring processes. In collaboration with the EARNEST trial, NHS England will undertake a stocktake of implementation progress across centres, the findings of which will be shared with regional commissioning teams and clinical networks to support any follow up actions as required.

NHS England’s national team is now working with the vascular and cardiac professional societies to develop a type B, elective aortic dissection toolkit, which is anticipated for publication in 2026.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the average number of days taken to fill a consultant-level vacancy in each of the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to fill consultant-level vacancies on waiting list recovery rates. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not hold data on the number of days taken to fill a consultant-level vacancy nor has it made an assessment of the potential impact of the time taken to fill consultant-level vacancies on waiting list recovery rates.

NHS England published its planning guidance for 2025/26 in January 2025. This guidance sets out clear priorities for the National Health Service, including the delivery of the interim electives ambition that nationally, 65% of patients are seen within 18 weeks, along with an expected minimum 5% improvement on current performance for each trust, as set out in the Elective Reform Plan.

It is for trusts and integrated care boards to manage staffing of all professions to deliver on these priorities within their agreed financial allocations.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on the pace of workforce planning in addition to the long-term workforce plan. \p Karin Smyth: No assessment has been made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on the pace of workforce planning in addition to the long-term workforce plan.

We will publish our 10 Year Workforce Plan by the end of this year.
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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with NHS Pensions on the increase in the length of processing time when pensioners are able to start receiving their award. \p Karin Smyth: The Department regularly meets with the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), which administers the NHS Pension Scheme, to discuss performance levels in the scheme. These talks include the current increase in processing times for first pension payments.

To address the delays, the NHSBSA is re-allocating resources, recruiting and training new staff, and updating communications to members and employers to allow them to plan accordingly. The Department is supporting the NHSBSA to take all steps necessary to recover performance so that applications can be processed within the 30-day target.

The NHSBSA is committed to providing the best service possible to retiring and retired National Health Service staff, and will keep members updated.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of international best practice in the provision of osteoporosis diagnosis services; and whether he is applying lessons learned from those practices to NHS policy. \p Karin Smyth: In the last three years, two new drugs have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for the treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women, namely abaloparatide and romosozumab. These medications help to strengthen the bones and prevent bone loss, thereby reducing the risk of fractures. The National Health Service is legally required to make funding available for treatments recommended by NICE.

We have invested in 13 new bone density, or DEXA, scanners, which are expected to provide up to 29,000 extra scans per year to ensure people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier.

The National Fracture Liaison Service database is a clinically led national audit of secondary fracture prevention in England and Wales and is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership and delivered by the Royal College of Physicians. It collects and publishes data on individual Fracture Liaison Services and uses internationally recognised standards as the key performance indicators that these services are measured against. The data is publicly available.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support family carers in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers and is committed to ensuring they have the support they need.

The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers. To help local authorities fulfil their duties, including to unpaid carers, the 2025 Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.

In April, the Government also increased the Carer’s Allowance weekly earnings limit from £151 a week to £196, the largest ever increase since the Carer’s Allowance was introduced.

Through measures in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are equipping and supporting carers by making them more visible, empowering their voices in care planning, joining up services, and streamlining their caring tasks by introducing a new ‘MyCarer’ section to the NHS App.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to develop a modern service framework for neurological conditions other than dementia; and whether he plans to consult (a) the MS Society and (b) people with neurological conditions on future policy decisions. \p Stephen Kinnock: The 10-Year Health Plan sets out the development of a new series of service frameworks to accelerate progress in conditions where there is potential for rapid improvements in the quality of care and productivity. The first wave of modern service frameworks will be published in 2026 and, following this, the 10-Year Health Plan allows for service frameworks to be developed for other conditions, including neurological conditions.

We will continue to work closely with neurological charities like the MS Society, as this work progresses.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the MS Society’s report entitled A Different Path: Rethinking MS hospital care, published in September 2025, what steps he is taking to increase staffing levels in (a) neurology, (b) multiple sclerosis nursing and (c) allied health professions in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. \p Karin Smyth: The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. To support this, the Department and NHS England will be engaging with key stakeholders to ensure that the particular needs of different patient groups and relevant health professionals are reflected in this work.
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Peter Prinsley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the General Dental Council has made on procuring a new examination board for the Overseas Registration Exam. \p Stephen Kinnock: I have asked the General Dental Council (GDC) to present its action plan to reduce the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) waiting list in the autumn, when the GDC also expects to be able to announce the new contract provider for the ORE.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available for NHS mental health staff who are injured at work or absent due to work-related stress. \p Karin Smyth: The health and wellbeing of National Health Service staff is a top priority, including those who work in mental health settings. It is important that employers across the NHS take a preventative and proactive approach to supporting their staff and keeping them healthy. At a national level, NHS staff have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support alongside the Practitioner Health service for more complex mental health and wellbeing support, including for trauma and addiction.

The 10-Year Health Plan aims to significantly reduce sickness absence rates. We will introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment which will ensure employers support staff to work healthily and flexibly. We will also roll out Staff Treatment hubs, starting in 2027, to ensure staff have access to high quality support for mental health and back conditions.