theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Ten Year Health Plan on community hospital bed provision in Yeovil constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: Our 10-Year Health Plan is creating a National Health Service truly fit for the future, keeping patients healthy and out of hospital, with care closer to home and in the home.

An impact statement for the plan will be published shortly.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the risk of insolvency among key providers of community equipment services. \p Stephen Kinnock: Ministers regularly engage with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. However, My rt Hon. friends, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, have had no meetings regarding the risk of insolvency among key providers of community equipment services.

Local authorities have a statutory duty under various pieces of legislation, including the Care Act 2014, to make arrangements for the provision of disability aids and community equipment, to meet the assessed eligible needs of individuals who are resident in their area. In terms of the management of the market for these services, the commissioning and oversight of their delivery rests with local authorities.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS 10 Year Plan, published 3 July 2025, where the new neighbourhood health centres will be located. \p Stephen Kinnock: Over the course of our 10-Year Health Plan, we aim to establish a Neighbourhood Health Centre in every community.

Nationwide coverage will take time, but we will start in the areas of greatest need, like in coastal towns and working-class communities, including by using public capital to update and refurbish existing, under-used buildings, targeting places where healthy life expectancy is lowest, and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.

Successful centres are already operating across the country in places such as Birmingham and Whitstable, showing how the service can work and be delivered for local people.
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Harpreet Uppal:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will provide additional guidance on how hospices will be incorporated into new models of care under the NHS 10-Year Plan. \p Stephen Kinnock: In February 2025, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan. 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 of variation in access and quality. Some difference in provision may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

The Department is considering how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.

We, alongside key partners NHS England, will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, in order to understand the issues they face.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of dentists moving from NHS to private practice in (a) Wiltshire and (b) other (i) rural and (ii) semi-rural areas. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most.

Integrated care boards have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

Training a dentist costs the taxpayer up to £200,000. Having consulted on the principle of requiring all dentists to work in the NHS for a minimum period, we will now make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period. We intend this minimum period to be at least three years. That will mean more NHS dentists, more NHS appointments, and better oral health.

As a first step to reforming the dental contract, we are consulting on a package of changes to improve access to, and improve the quality of, NHS dentistry, which will deliver improved care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. Further information on the consultation is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms

The consultation was launched on 8 July 2025 and will close on 19 August 2025.
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Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of partner GPs in each of the next 10 years. \p Stephen Kinnock: As self-employed contractors, general practitioners (GPs) act as providers making their own decisions based on local workforce needs. This includes decisions about the number of partners and salaried GPs at the practice.

GPs will be the cornerstone of the Neighbourhood Health Service. The excellent GP leaders we currently have across the system, and those we will nurture and develop for future generations, will be integral in shaping and delivering it.

Following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, 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 National Health Service 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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Iqbal Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the 10-Year Plan for Health enables equitable access to (a) palliative and (b) end-of-life care. \p Stephen Kinnock: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

One of the three shifts that the 10-Year Health Plan will deliver is the shift of healthcare from the hospital 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 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 and end of life care, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to publish an implementation plan for the NHS 10-Year Plan. \p Karin Smyth: Implementation of the 10-Year Health Plan is already underway: new reforms to the dental contract will prioritise those with urgent and complex needs; we are taking first steps to rollout new neighbourhood health services, which will target the most-deprived areas first; a new pilot programme will support people with health conditions back into employment and ease pressure on doctors; a new animated series will get more children across the country moving more and encouraging a healthier lifestyle; and patients will benefit from better access to pharmacy services under new proposals.

Delivery expectations are embedded throughout the plan, which will shift care from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention. Over the remainder of 2025/26, we will put in place key next steps to deliver the plan, build the foundations for the shifts from hospital to community, analogue to digital and sickness to prevention, and roll out current best practice across the whole country.
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Alex McIntyre:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding has been allocated to support digital transformation as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. \p Karin Smyth: In advance of the 10-Year Health Plan’s publication, the Government confirmed an allocation of up to £10 billion for National Health Service digital, data, and technology through the Spending Review. This is a nearly 50% uplift on current investment, with a 3% real terms uplift overall.

That investment will support delivery of the 10-Year Health Plan, while yielding substantial improvements in the public experience of using the NHS, and in the experience of staff working for it. It will also make a material contribution to achieving the 2% productivity target and wider efficiency targets.
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce legislation to facilitate a right to a Care Supporter for people in care settings. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) Fundamental Standard on Visiting and Accompanying (Regulation 9A) came into force on 6 April 2024 to strengthen requirements for CQC registered care homes, hospitals, and hospices to facilitate visiting, unless there are exceptional circumstances which mean that it is not safe to do so. This can be a visit from a family member, a friend, or a person visiting to provide companionship or support, for example, a care supporter.

In April 2025, we launched a review of the CQC’s Regulation 9A to assess whether the legislation has been effective in addressing concerns about visiting in health and care settings. Depending on the outcome of the review, we will consider whether further action is needed.
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Dame Caroline Dinenage:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to introduce a universal transferrable record for people with learning disabilities under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: Our 10-Year Health Plan will transform the National Health Service, shifting care from analogue to digital. We know that patients, including those with a learning disability, often have to tell their story at every appointment. The single patient record means that they will only need to tell it once. The record will improve secure access for patients and clinicians and ensure seamless treatment across the NHS. This will connect a patient’s health history in one secure place, accessible through the NHS App. Patients will get a legal right to access their single patient record by default and will be able to check their own information and alert clinicians where there are errors.

In addition, the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag was developed to enable health and care workers to record, share, and view details of reasonable adjustments, across the NHS and social care, wherever the person is seen or treated.

On 30 June 2025, a revised Accessible Information Standard was published. It describes how NHS and adult social care services should identify, record, flag, share, meet, and review people’s information and communication support needs. The revised Accessible Information Standard is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/accessible-information-standard/

In 2024, NHS England also published guidance on health and care passports, which are designed to be a quick and easy way to give health and social care professionals more information about people with a learning disability and other disabled people so that they can provide the right care and treatment. The guidance on health and care passports is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/health-and-care-passports/
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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of autism assessments in (a) England and (b) Chichester constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government has recognised that, nationally, the demand for assessments for autism has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays for accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future, and it recognises the need for early intervention and support, without the need for diagnosis.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including provision of autism services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the NHS to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people, and adults referred to an autism assessment service. The guidance also sets out what support should be available before an assessment and what support should follow a recent diagnosis of autism, based on the available evidence. Since publication, NHS England has been supporting systems and services to identify where there are challenges for implementation and how they might overcome these.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the newly qualified GPs recruited since October 2024 trained in the United Kingdom. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department does not hold the requested information as workforce and recruitment decisions are made locally by practices and primary care networks. As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is up to general practices to determine how they run their operations.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan published on 3 July, we will work across the Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training. We will also prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period for specialty training.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued on whether (a) a family and (b) babies and children living in temporary accommodation can remain registered at their GP surgery if they live (i) in the area and (ii) outside the area but within reasonable travelling distance. \p Stephen Kinnock: Patients have the legal right to choose a general practice (GP) that best suits their needs. If a patient moves outside of their practice’s catchment area, the patient’s permanent practice must not de-register them, unless the patient is away from that practice’s area for more than three months. In those cases, the patient must be informed of this where practicable, and some practices may accept that you remain registered as an out of area patient. Housing status should not affect anyone’s ability to register with a GP. Patients who are homeless or in temporary housing do not need a fixed address to be registered.
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Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which (a) wards and (b) super output areas in Telford constituency are within the top (i) 10%, (ii) 5% and (iii) 1% in England for (A) life expectancy inequality, (B) health outcomes, (C) deprivation, (D) child poverty and (E) other factors used to determine health investment into (1) primary care and (2) hubs. \p Stephen Kinnock: The current national funding formula for primary medical care, known as the Carr-Hill formula, does not use indicators such as life expectancy inequality, health outcomes, deprivation, or child poverty to determine allocations. As a result, data for the areas requested in the Telford constituency is not held centrally for these specific criteria in the context of primary medical care investment.

The Carr-Hill formula instead uses demographic and practice-level characteristics, including patient age and gender, list turnover, and unavoidable costs based on geographical area, which aim to reflect expected workload for general practice services. To account for health inequalities, there is also an additional adjustment applied at the integrated care board level to recognise relative deprivation across geographies.

We know that the Carr-Hill formula is considered outdated, and evidence suggests that general practices (GPs) serving in deprived parts of England receive less funding per patient when adjusted for need, compared to practices in less deprived areas. It is important that funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country, which is why in the 10-Health Year Plan we have committed to reviewing the GP funding formula to ensure that resources are targeted where they are most needed.
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Lewis Atkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to routinely publish waiting time data for community adult mental health services. \p Stephen Kinnock: Waiting time data for community adult mental health services is already routinely published.

Since July 2023, NHS England has included waiting time metrics for referrals to community-based mental health services in its monthly mental health statistics publication, to help services target the longest waits. The latest information on wait times is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-talking-therapies-monthly-statistics-including-employment-advisors
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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department are taking to ensure the effectiveness of the (a) monitoring of and (b) improvements to dementia care. \p Stephen Kinnock: Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services. We will deliver the first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity.

To strengthen both local and national insight into dementia care, enable clearer benchmarking, and support the delivery of more timely, targeted, and person-centred support, NHS England continues to monitor the monthly dementia diagnosis rate and analyse trends at national, regional and integrated care board level. The commitment to recover diagnosis rates to the national ambition of 66.7% remains in place, ensuring identification and appropriate support for people living with dementia.

In addition, NHS England is actively looking to improve the clinical utility and relevance of dementia data reporting. This includes, firstly, enhancing primary care reporting through ongoing refinement of indicators and coding approaches.

Notably, a new measure was introduced in April 2025 capturing the number of people with dementia who have experienced delirium in the past 12 months. This will support systems and providers to better understand variation in care provision, improve risk stratification, and strengthen care planning.

NHS England is also exploring improvements in the Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS) to ensure activity within Memory Assessment Services is more fully reflected in available data. Work is underway with the NHS England analyst team to scope options for developing more meaningful coverage and consistency in memory service reporting.
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Paulette Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of levels of current funding on palliative care on an assisted dying service. \p Stephen Kinnock: I refer the Hon. Member to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: impact assessment, which considers the resourcing implications of an assisted dying service on palliative and end of life care services.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) potential cost to the public purse for mental health services delivered through the NHS 10 Year Plan and (b) proportion of the total costs for the NHS 10 Year Plan that will be spent on mental health. \p Stephen Kinnock: The plan commits to wide reaching mental health transformation over the next 10 years, for which the National Health Service has a settlement for the next three years. The Spending Review prioritised health, with NHS day-to-day spending increasing by £29 billion in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. We are preparing for the first multi-year planning round for the NHS in more than half a decade, which will confirm budget allocations and give local leaders the certainty they need to deliver.
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Alison Hume:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support (a) Danes Dyke surgery in Scarborough and (b) other GP practices with (a) population growth and (b) capacity constraints. \p Stephen Kinnock: The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure there is sufficient general practice (GP) provision in each local area, taking into account of population growth and demographic changes.

At a national level, the Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure that all new and existing developments have an adequate level of healthcare infrastructure for the community.

The Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) advise that in North Scarborough, a total of £339,766 of Section 106 funding has been secured from housing developments to support Scarborough Medical Group and Hackness Road Surgery. Of this funding, £138,298 is currently available, and formal plans for its use are still in development. The remaining funding will become available within the next two to four years.

A Project Initiation Document, to better understand a new build proposal and the associated financial implications, has been shared by the proposed landlord with Danes Dyke Surgery. The ICB expects to receive a copy in due course. In the meantime, the GP partners, as the legal owners of Dane’s Dyke Surgery’s current premises, have undertaken some remedial works to help extend the building’s usability in the short term. Responsibility for the ongoing maintenance of the existing premises lies with the GP partners, in accordance with their legal obligations.

Danes Dyke Surgery is responsible for maintaining an up-to-date business continuity plan and for minimising any disruption to patient care. The ICB will support the practice with their communication of this plan. The Humber and North Yorkshire ICB is continuing to work closely with all stakeholders and is doing everything within its remit to support progress and explore viable options for the future.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of full-time equivalent NHS dentists practising in Wiltshire in (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2013-14. \p Stephen Kinnock: The latest year in which workforce data is available is 2023/24. There were 440 dentists who undertook some level of National Health Service activity in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (ICB).

Due to changes in how data is collected, the Department cannot make a direct comparison to the number of dentists in 2013/14.

However, in that year there were 238 dentists who undertook some level of NHS activity in the Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group area. Please note that this area covers a smaller geographic area than the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to guarantee the inclusion of (a) Admiral Nurses and (b) other dementia specialist nurses as core members of the Neighbourhood Health Service. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Neighbourhood Health Service will bring together teams of professionals closer to people’s homes to work together to provide comprehensive care in the community. We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations, and so they could include dementia specialist nurses. While we will be clear on the outcomes we expect, we will give significant licence to tailor the approach to local need. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in rural communities, coastal towns, or deprived inner cities.

Provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We would expect ICBs to commission services, which may include dementia specialist nurses/admiral nurses, based on local population needs, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. NICE recommends providing people living with dementia with a single named health or social care professional who is responsible for coordinating their care.

Under the 10-Year Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services.  We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.
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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) intersectionality and (b) cultural perceptions on the underdiagnosis of autism in women and girls. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department and NHS England continue to look at relevant evidence and national data sources so that we can identify and try to mitigate health inequalities.

Analyses of the NHS Health and Care of People with Learning Disabilities data, which provides information on differences in healthcare between people with a learning disability and/or autism and those without, published by NHS England, supports evidence from the literature that rates of diagnoses are often lower, and below expected prevalence, in certain ethnic communities. We also know from the research literature that attitudes, beliefs, and stigma about neurodevelopmental differences likely play a significant role.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability for patients to message their GP practice using the NHS app for medical and appointment enquiries over lunchtime periods. \p Stephen Kinnock: We want patients to be able to contact their general practice (GP) by phone, online, or by walking in, and for people to have an equitable experience across these access routes. This is a key intervention in the Government’s ambition to end the 8:00am scramble. From 1 October 2025, practices will be contractually required to keep their online consultation tool open for the duration of core hours, from 8:00am to 6:30pm, for non-urgent appointment requests, medication queries, and admin requests. This will be subject to the necessary safeguards that are in place to avoid urgent clinical requests being erroneously submitted online. These requirements are set out in ‘You and Your GP’, a new patient charter, which will come into effect from September. Practices must provide a link to ‘You and Your GP’ on their website.

Patients can currently access their practice’s online consultation tool through their practice’s website. For 74% of practices this is also available via the NHS App, and this is due to increase to 95% of practices by March 2026.
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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review the medical model of autism support in favour of strength-based, neuro-affirmative approaches. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to creating a more inclusive society where autistic people are supported to thrive. We value the unique strengths and skills that autistic people can bring to education, employment, and communities, and there is relevant work on inclusion ongoing in multiple Government departments.

For the National Health Service, our focus is to make sure the NHS is providing the right support to the right people at the right time. For people with suspected or diagnosed autism, the optimal approach is often to identify and meet needs early in life, and support and empower individuals, which need not always be reliant on a clinical diagnosis. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out the core principle of early intervention and support, without the need for diagnosis, including for children and young people.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism assessments and support, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. The NICE guidelines on autism cover the different ways that health and care professionals can provide support for autistic people and aim to improve access and engagement with interventions and services.
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Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what criteria will he base the review of the Carr-Hill formula. \p Stephen Kinnock: We recognise the importance of ensuring that funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country.

The review of the Carr-Hill formula will draw on a range of evidence and advice from experts, with a focus on how health need is reflected in funding. Further detail on the review will be confirmed in due course.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many frontline NHS staff have completed both parts of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism as of July 2025; and what steps are being taken to ensure full compliance across all trusts. \p Stephen Kinnock: Data on completion of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism (Oliver’s Training) is held locally and is reported to NHS England by integrated care boards. This data does not differentiate between completion by frontline staff and other National Health Service and social care staff, and is instead focussed on overall completion of Tier 1 and Tier 2. Tier 1 of Oliver’s Training is for those that require general awareness for their role, and Tier 2 is for those who may provide direct care for people with a learning disability and autistic people. The first part of both tiers of training is a co-produced e-learning module which has had over three million completions across all audiences. The most recently validated data on completion of both parts held by NHS England is up to March 2025, when it was reported that 85,718 staff had completed Tier 1 training and 113,003 had completed Tier 2 training.

NHS England is supporting the roll out of the training on a Payment by Results basis, co-coordinated by integrated care boards, and continues to monitor training uptake.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-23 conversation_93

Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the has made of the adequacy of the 1.68% uplift to the practice expenses element of the NHS dental contract in 2023-24, in the context of changes to the costs of running a dental practice. \p Stephen Kinnock: The pay elements of the 2024/25 National Health Service contracts for general dental practitioners and salaried dentists were all uplifted by 6%, in line with the independent Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration’s recommendations. The overall contract value was uplifted by 4.64%, net of pay and expense elements. Uplifted payments were backdated to 1 April 2024.

Whilst no specific assessment of adequacy has been carried out, the use of a gross domestic product deflator for expenses was consistent with other areas across the NHS, including for general practitioners and ophthalmology.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-23 conversation_94

Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing primary legislation to give those in care settings the right for (a) their loved ones and (b) others to visit. \p Stephen Kinnock: Secondary legislation was introduced in December 2023 to create a new Care Quality Commission (CQC) Fundamental Standard on Visiting and Accompanying (Regulation 9A), which came into force on 6 April 2024. This requires CQC registered care homes, hospitals, and hospices to facilitate visiting and accompanying unless there are exceptional circumstances which mean that it is not safe to do so. Visits can be from anyone the resident would like to visit with.

In April 2025, we launched a review of CQC Regulation 9A to assess whether the legislation has been effective in addressing concerns about visiting in health and care settings. Depending on the outcome of the review, we will consider whether further action is needed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-23 conversation_95

Natalie Fleet:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many registered care homes received a Care Quality Commission assessment as (a) requires improvement and (b) inadequate, in each of the last five years in Bolsover constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: In the last five years, the Care Quality Commission carried out ten inspections or re-inspection activity, across the time frame, for six care homes in the Bolsover constituency. Seven assessments of care homes resulted in a rating of “requires improvement” and three resulted in a rating of “inadequate”. This data has been taken from the five-year period starting 1 July 2020.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-23 conversation_96

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of GPs expected to retire by 2030; and whether the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan accounts for shortages in (a) the South East and (b) other regions. \p Stephen Kinnock: No estimate has been made of the number of general practitioners (GPs) expected to retire by 2030. A GP's decision to retire can be influenced by many factors. Therefore, we do not have the data to make forecasts.

In May 2025, there were 691 more full time equivalent (FTE) GPs than in May 2024. Workforce shortages are greater in some, particularly deprived, areas.

In August 2024, we announced an £82 million in-year funding boost to allow recently qualified GPs to be hired through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, and have so far recruited over 1,900 GPs, exceeding our target of 1,000.

Through a 3% real terms growth in funding for the NHS over three years, we will train thousands more GPs and deliver millions more appointments.

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 deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-23 conversation_97

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the gender diagnosis gap for autism. \p Stephen Kinnock: We recognise that diagnosis rates of autism are lower in women and girls and lower than the best evidence on prevalence. This may reflect differences in how autism presents in males and females, which may make autism more difficult to identify in women and girls.

Autism assessments should be undertaken by appropriately skilled clinicians who consider a number of factors before coming to a clinical decision. Integrated care boards and health professionals should have due regard to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines when commissioning and providing health care services, including autism assessment services. The NICE guideline Autism spectrum disorder in under 19s: recognition, referral and diagnosis sets out considerations for clinicians when assessing for autism, including highlighting that autism may be under-diagnosed in women and girls.

NHS England has also rolled out training across mental health services with 5,000 trainers having been trained as part of the National Autism Trainer Programme, and this training covers autism presentation in women and girls. These trainers will cascade their training to teams across mental health services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-23 conversation_98

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase access to care in the community in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire. \p Stephen Kinnock: As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to building a Neighbourhood Health Service that will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a patient’s home if possible, in the community when needed, and only in a hospital if necessary.

Neighbourhood Health Services will bring together teams of professionals closer to people’s homes, including nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, and more, to work together to provide comprehensive care in the community.

In addition, over the course of the plan, our aim is to have one Neighbourhood Health Centre in each community that brings together National Health Service, local authority, and voluntary sector services in one building, to help create a holistic offer that meets the needs of local populations.

Moreover, in the future, there will also be neighbourhood health plans drawn up by local government, the NHS, and its partners. The integrated care board will bring together these plans into a population health improvement plan for their footprint, which they will use to inform commissioning decisions.

We will transform access to primary and community care services, including general practice, NHS dentistry, and community pharmacy, and provide more urgent care and outpatient appointments in the community, to ensure better value for money and to reduce unnecessary attendances and stays in hospital.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-23 conversation_99

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that autism-related mental health needs are recognised and supported before reaching clinical thresholds. \p Stephen Kinnock: The 10-Year Health Plan sets out the core principle of early intervention and support, without the need for diagnosis, including for children and young people. In the autumn, the Government will bring forward a schools white paper, which will detail the Government’s approach to reforming the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, ensuring joined-up support, and including education and healthcare providers working together.

NHS England has also rolled out additional training across mental health services. 5,000 trainers have been trained as part of the National Autism Trainer Programme, and this training covers autism presentation in women and girls. These trainers will cascade their training to teams across mental health services.

Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we will continue to roll out mental health support teams in schools and colleges, to reach full national coverage by 2029/30. We will also ensure that support for children and young people’s mental health is embedded in new Young Futures Hubs, alongside a wellbeing offer, to ensure there is no ‘wrong front door’ for young people with mental health needs, including those who are autistic, seeking help.

The Government is transforming mental health services through 24 hour a day, seven day a week neighbourhood mental health centres to support our ambition to shift care from hospitals to communities. People will get better direct access to mental health support and advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the NHS App, without needing a general practice appointment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-23 conversation_100

Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the revised NHS dental contract to be implemented. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are committed to reforming the dental contract, but we need to take the time to get this right. There are no perfect payment models and careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system so that we deliver genuine improvements for patients and the profession. The Government’s ambition is to deliver fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.

As a first step to reforming the dental contract, we are consulting on a package of changes to improve access to, and the quality of, National Health Service dentistry which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation is accessible at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms

The consultation was launched on 8 July and will close on 19 August.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-23 conversation_101

Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with NHS dentists on rises in the costs for (a) NHS dental practices and (b) (i) laboratories and (ii) dental materials. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is continuing to meet the British Dental Association and other representatives of the dental sector on a regular basis and some of these meetings have included the discussion of costs associated with delivering National Health Service dental care.

In addition, 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 2025 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 responses to understand findings.