theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department has allocated to GP practices to hire more GPs. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are starting to see consistent growth in the general practitioner (GP) workforce.  In July 2025, there were 658 more fully qualified full-time equivalent GPs working in practices than in July 2024.

The Government committed to recruiting over 1,000 recently qualified GPs in primary care networks (PCNs) through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25. This is part of our initiative to secure the future pipeline of GPs, with over 1,000 doctors otherwise likely to graduate into unemployment in 2024/25. Data on the number of recently qualified general practitioners for which PCNs are claiming reimbursement via the ARRS show that, since 1 October 2024, over 2,000 GPs were recruited through the scheme.

Newly qualified GPs employed under the ARRS will continue to receive support under the scheme in the coming year as part of the 25/26 contract. Several changes have been confirmed to increase the flexibility of ARRS. These include: GPs and practice nurses included in the main ARRS funding pot; an uplift of the maximum reimbursable rate for GPs in the scheme; and no caps on the number of GPs that can be employed through the scheme.

We are boosting practice finances by investing an additional £1,092 million in general practice to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade. The 8.9% boost to the GP contract in 2025/26 is faster than the 5.8% growth to the NHS budget as a whole.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children have been hospitalised needing treatment for dental decay in Lincolnshire in each of the last three years. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) publishes annual official statistics on tooth extractions in children aged between zero and 19 years old that take place in a National Health Service hospital setting in England. The following table shows the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for tooth extraction with dental caries, also known as tooth decay, as the primary diagnosis code between 2021/22 and 2023/24, for children aged between zero and 19 years old in the Lincolnshire upper tier local authority:

Financial year

Lincolnshire

2023/24

70

2022/23

70

2021/22

75

Source: OHID’s annual statistics on tooth extractions zero to 19 year olds that take place in an NHS hospital setting in England, available at the following link:    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hospital-based-tooth-extractions-in-0-to-19-year-olds

Notes:
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GPs have (a) been hired and (b) left practice since July 2024. \p Stephen Kinnock: Between June 2024 and June 2025, the most recent period for which data is available, 2,611 full time equivalent (FTE), or 4,174 headcount, fully qualified general practitioners (GPs) joined general practice, while 1,760 FTE, or 2,756 headcount, fully qualified GPs left general practice.
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Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government’s commission on adult social care will consider reform to the means test of the Disabled Facilities Grant. \p Stephen Kinnock: In England, we continue to fund the locally administered Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), which helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes.

We have provided an additional £172 million across this and the last financial year to uplift the DFG, which could provide around 15,600 home adaptations to give older and disabled people more independence in their homes. This brings the total funding for the DFG to £711 million across 2024/25 and 2025/26.

We continue to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. Recently, we carried out a review of the upper limit for the DFG and are currently considering the findings.

We have launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The Terms of Reference for the commission are sufficiently broad to enable Baroness Casey to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future, including aspects of the DFG if she sees fit.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the NHS England Help Us Help You campaign on cancer symptom awareness. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department and NHS England recognise the importance of directly targeting awareness campaigns at areas that we know will make a difference, to increase awareness of cancer symptoms and encourage people to get checked.

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and to address the barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns are evaluated in line with best practice, considering media metrics, campaign awareness, understanding and intention to act, along with analysis of operational data.

The most recent phases of Help Us Help You, which ran between January and March 2025, saw increases in symptom knowledge and intention to act. NHS England is undertaking operational data analysis, with early data showing an increase in cancer diagnosis at the same time as campaign activity. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his policy is on (a) routine PSA testing for males in specific age categories and (b) the reimbursement of GP practices by the NHS for providing PSA tests; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of existing funding arrangements for PSA tests on the willingness of GP practices to provide routine testing. \p Ashley Dalton: There is no age limit on prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests.

Advice for general practitioners (GPs) called the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme provides information and guidance for GPs to counsel asymptomatic men about the potential benefits and harms of PSA testing so they can make an informed decision about whether to have the test. There is no routine testing of men using PSA. They are advised to follow National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance for men who they think may have symptoms that could be prostate cancer. This includes the use of PSA as a diagnostic rather than screening test.

More information on the programme is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prostate-cancer-risk-management-programme-overview

With regards reimbursement of GP practices by the National Health Service for providing PSA tests, local enhanced services, such as blood tests, are negotiated and agreed locally, and are commissioned by integrated care boards to fit the needs of the local population. GP practices can choose whether they would like to participate in providing these services. These services can vary in scope and funding across the country. We have not assessed the potential impact of this funding arrangement for PSA tests on GP willingness to provide testing.

Where a man is symptomatic of prostate cancer, NICE guidance is clear about using the PSA test in these men. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng12/chapter/Recommendations-organised-by-site-of-cancer#urological-cancers
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Sarah Hall:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of waiting times for gynaecology treatment on women’s health outcomes; and what steps he is taking to improve access to timely care. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future. Our focus is on turning the commitments in the Women's Health Strategy into tangible action, such as providing emergency hormonal contraception free of charge at pharmacies on the NHS from October 2025; setting out how we will eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 through the new cervical cancer plan; and taking urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we have committed to return to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including women waiting for gynaecological care, wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. We provided additional investment in the Autumn Budget that has enabled us to fulfil our pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments early. More than double that number, 4.9 million more appointments, have now been delivered.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January, sets out the reform we will undertake to return to the 18-week standard, and to ensure patients have the best possible experience while they wait. This includes commitments to offer patients care closer to home, in the community, including piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres for patients with unscheduled bleeding on hormone replacement therapy. We have also committed to increasing the relative funding available to support gynaecology procedures with the largest waiting lists.

We know the vital role general practitioners (GPs) have to play in the Government’s mission to tackle NHS waiting lists. This is why we have expanded the Advice and Guidance scheme, investing £80 million to keep patients off the waiting list, with GPs working more closely with hospital specialists to access expert advice to make sure patients can access timely, high quality care.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which hospitals are in the top quartile of most efficient hospitals. \p Karin Smyth: The Department and NHS England do not measure efficiency by hospital. Instead, the NHS Oversight Framework measures National Health Service trust and foundation trust performance across a range of metrics. These reflect the delivery of NHS priorities, including performance against targets like reducing wait times for electives and accident and emergency, and improving ambulance response times.

The framework assigns trusts to four equal-sized, or quartiled, performance categories referred to as segments. This year’s framework, however, emphasises the importance of maintaining financial control by limiting providers to no higher than segment 3 if they are not delivering a surplus or breakeven position.

Segmentation under this year’s framework has now been published as part of newly developed league tables, designed to increase transparency and drive improvement. These tables are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-oversight-framework-nhs-trust-performance-league-tables-process-and-results/
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Sarah Hall:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reintroducing private finance through public private partnerships for neighbourhood health centres on the NHS; and how those proposals differ from previous private finance initiative models. \p Karin Smyth: As set out in the 10 Year Health Plan, the Department, alongside the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority, is working on a business case to look at the feasibility of using a public private partnership (PPP) model for Neighbourhood Health Centres, with a decision expected in the Autumn Budget.

Any new PPP models will be subject to market testing and will build on lessons learned from past government experience, models currently in use, and the March 2025 National Audit Office report, ‘Lessons Learned: private finance for infrastructure’.

The Department conducted a successful preliminary market engagement exercise over summer 2025, and this is feeding into the business case.
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Rachel Blake:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Dental Act 1921 in meeting patient needs in orthodontic care. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Dentists Act 1921 was repealed in full by the Dentists Act 1957, section 51 and schedule 2, which in turn was repealed by the Dentists Act 1984 , section 54 and schedule 6.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women under the age of 18 have been diagnosed with ADHD in the last 12 months. \p Stephen Kinnock: There is no single established dataset that can be used to monitor the numbers of people diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis for ADHD by gender in England.

For the first time, NHS England published management information on ADHD waits at a national level on 29 May 2025 as part of its ADHD data improvement plan. NHS England has also released technical guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) to improve the recording of ADHD data, with a view to improving the quality of ADHD waits and diagnosis data as well as publishing more localised data in future. NHS England has also captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.

NHS England established an ADHD taskforce which brought together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June, with the final report expected later this year, and we will carefully consider its recommendations.
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John Glen:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2025 to Question 68387 on Epilepsy and Pregnancy: Sodium Valproate, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) consistent and (b) effective implementation of the Pregnancy Prevention Programme by Integrated Care Boards. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England has worked collaboratively with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on the safer use of valproate containing medicines and there have been several steps to ensure that integrated care boards (ICBs) lead the implementation of the regulations set out by the MHRA. The agency issued a National Patient Safety Alert on valproate in November 2023, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/drug-device-alerts/national-patient-safety-alert-valproate-organisations-to-prepare-for-new-regulatory-measures-for-oversight-of-prescribing-to-new-patients-and-existing-female-patients-natpsa-slash-2023-slash-013-slash-mhra

The Medicines and Pregnancy Register monitors prescribing of valproate and highlights the number of pregnancies potentially exposed to valproate. This data demonstrates a reduction in prescribing valproate to women and girls as well as a reduction in the number of possible exposed pregnancies since the Pregnancy Prevention Programme (PPP) was introduced in 2018. Analysis shows the implementation of the PPP by ICBs is consistent across the country. The register is available at the following link:

https://tabanalytics.data.england.nhs.uk/t/Public/views/MedsPreg/TitlePage?%3Aembed=y&%3Aiid=1&%3AisGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y

Other information available to patients, clinical practitioners and prescribers includes: information from the MHRA; Decision Support Tools and Patient Information leaflets issued by NHS England; and the Valproate Integrated Quality Improvement Programme offered by NHS England. These are available at the following links:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/valproate-reproductive-risks

https://www.england.nhs.uk/personalisedcare/shared-decision-making/decision-support-tools/

https://www.southeastclinicalnetworks.nhs.uk/our-networks/valproate/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/patient-safety/sodium-valproate/
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to publish a description of the new job role for physician associates before implementation of the Leng Review. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England has published a letter and a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ document, setting out what the accepted Leng Review recommendations mean for employees and employers, both in the immediate and longer term. The document is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/leng-review-nhs-england-faqs-on-actions-for-nhs-organisations.pdf

NHS England will consider the development of new model job descriptions for the roles of physician assistants (PAs) and physician assistants in anaesthesia (PAAs), still legally known as anaesthesia associates and physician associates, in consultation with key partners as part of any wider implementation plan. Whilst such model job descriptions would not be mandatory, they would provide guidance on the general duties of newly qualified PAs and PAAs for employers when recruiting.

Prior to implementing new job descriptions, these should be evaluated either through local primary care approaches or the National Health Service job evaluation scheme for secondary care providers.

In the meantime, employers of the roles should ensure their competencies and job activities are assessed to ensure they are appropriate, reflect the required work activities within the service, and that clinical governance and oversight of the roles is clearly documented.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of specialty training posts for UK-trained doctors. \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 with a focus on specialities where there is greatest need.

The 10-Year Health Plan also set out that we will work across 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 in due course.
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Cat Eccles:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that essential NHS staff in Band 2 and Band 3 roles are eligible for inclusion on the (a) Health and Care Worker visa and (b) the Immigration Salary List. \p Karin Smyth: National Health Service staff working in Agenda for Change band 2 roles have never been eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa as they do not meet the skills threshold of the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 3 diploma.

On 9 April, the minimum salary for Health and Care Worker visa holders increased to £25,000 per year. This applies to new Certificates of Sponsorship assigned on or after that date.

Entry-level band 3 roles do not meet the new minimum salary threshold for a Health and Care Worker visa. However, band 3 staff currently on the Health and Care Worker visa are not required to meet the new minimum salary threshold until the point at which they need to renew their visa. At that point, we expect the majority of staff to have accrued two or more years of experience, and therefore be at the top of band 3, which is above the new minimum salary threshold.

The expanded Immigration Salary List allows time-limited access to the United Kingdom’s immigration system for selected occupations of skill levels RQF 3 to 5 until the end of 2026, with restrictions on bringing dependants. The list includes occupations that the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) identified as being in shortage in its 2023 review and 2024 rapid review.

No new roles will now be added to the list, as it is being phased out at the end of 2026. The MAC has been commissioned to advise on a future Temporary Shortage List.
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support communities with the (a) maintenance and (b) running costs of public defibrillators. \p Karin Smyth: To improve patients' survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, the Government committed to improving access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces and reducing inequalities in access to these life-saving devices. Following the depletion of the existing AED fund, launched in September 2023, the Government approved a further £500,000 in August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the Fund.

Funding was allocated where there was the greatest need, for example: remote communities with extended ambulance response times; places with high footfall and high population densities; hotspots for cardiac arrest including sporting venues and venues with vulnerable people; and deprived areas.

There are no plans to undertake further work on improving access or provide additional support for AEDs, in light of the rapid expansion of AEDs across the UK. According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), there are now over 110,000 defibrillators in the United Kingdom registered on The Circuit, the independently operated national AED database.

We recognise the important work the BHF has undertaken in identifying communities with limited access to a defibrillator. The BHF undertook this work as part of their 2025 community defibrillator fund programme.

The BHF are urgently encouraging areas eligible to apply to their 2025 scheme to do so. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/defibrillators/apply-for-a-free-defibrillator-for-your-community

As well as the BHF, several other UK charities provide and support access to AEDs, and in some cases provide support for their maintenance and running costs. London Hearts, AED Donate, and Community Heartbeat Trust are prominent examples working to increase the availability of AEDs.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS estates are in need of (a) major repairs and (b) replacement in the North East. \p Karin Smyth: National Health Service trusts are legally responsible for managing and maintaining their estates using their operational capital allocations, and as part of this, they regularly assess the physical condition of their estate.

The NHS England Estates Related Information Collection (ERIC) survey collects data from trusts on the condition of their estate annually, including backlog maintenance, and the projected cost of bringing all the buildings on each NHS site into acceptable condition. The latest ERIC data, from 2023/24 and including trusts in the North East, is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/management-information---provisional-summary-figures-for-2023-24

Repairing and rebuilding our NHS estate is a vital part of our ambition to create an NHS that is fit for the future through our 10-Year Health Plan. The Government’s recently published 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy set out ten-year maintenance budgets for the public estate, confirming £6 billion per year for the maintenance and repair of the NHS estate up to 2034/35.
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Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the average travel distance for cancer patients from South Cumbria and North Lancashire required to attend Royal Preston Hospital for radiotherapy. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring healthcare needs of local communities in England are met. For the Royal Preston Hospital, this is the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board.

The National Health Service in England runs schemes to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional. The NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme provides financial assistance to patients who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services.

The Department has not made any assessment of average travel distances in the South Cumbria and North Lancashire area.
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John Glen:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2025 to Question 68387 on Epilepsy and Pregnancy: Sodium Valproate, what his Departments planned timeline is for establishing a centralised register caputring Pregnancy Prevention Programme interventions and acknowledgements, linked to prescribing data. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England has worked collaboratively with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on the safer use of valproate containing medicines. The best way to a centralised register is through the single patient record and the use of this to populate the federated data platfor, which would allow for the functionality of a centralised register. This is enabled by the Transformation Directorate to ensure that clinical care can be effectively and accurately coded.

The Medicines and Pregnancy Register monitors prescribing of valproate and highlights the number of pregnancies potentially exposed to valproate. This data demonstrates a reduction in prescribing valproate to women and girls as well as a reduction in the number of possible exposed pregnancies since the Pregnancy Prevention Programme (PPP) was introduced in 2018. Analysis shows the implementation of the PPP by ICBs is consistent across the country. The register is available at the following link:

https://tabanalytics.data.england.nhs.uk/t/Public/views/MedsPreg/TitlePage?%3Aembed=y&%3Aiid=1&%3AisGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of employer pension contributions for NHS employees are funded by NHS England. \p Karin Smyth: As of 1 April 2024, the National Health Service employer pension contribution rate rose to 23.7%. Employers pay 14.38% and central payments are made by NHS England for the remaining 9.4%.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for gynaecological referrals in Shropshire. \p Karin Smyth: We are committed to driving down waiting times in England, including for gynaecological services in Shropshire. We have wasted no time in getting to work cutting National Health Service waiting lists and ensuring people have the best possible experience during their care.

We promised change, and we’ve delivered early, with a reduction in the national waiting list between June 2024 and June 2025 of over 252,000, despite over 21 million referrals onto the list since July 2024.

We have fulfilled our pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments early. More than double that number, 4.9 million more appointments, have now been delivered as of June 2025.

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 NHS constitutional standard, by March 2029.

Between July 2024 and June 2025, the gynaecology waiting list at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust fell by 17.9%, dropping from 4,197 patients to 3,445. During the same period, the percentage of patients starting treatment within 18 weeks of referral rose significantly from 43.8% to 64.4%, marking an improvement of 20.6%.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, committed to providing quicker access for patients to common surgical hub procedures by ramping up the number of surgical hubs over the next three years.

There are currently 120 elective surgical hubs that are operational across England as of September 2025. This includes three surgical hubs within the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin​​ Integrated Care System. The most recent to open in the region was the Princess Royal Hospital Elective Surgical Hub, which opened in June 2024 and offers gynaecological services.

These dedicated and protected surgical hubs transform the way the NHS provides elective care by focusing on providing high volume low complexity surgery, as recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

The Elective Reform Plan also commits to transform and expand diagnostic services and speed up waiting times for tests, a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the referral to treatment 18-week standard. There is currently one community diagnostic centre (CDC) in the region, the Shrewsbury Telford and Wrekin Community Diagnostic Centre in Telford. This CDC is providing additional diagnostic capacity to see patients away from hospital sites, providing key diagnostic tests such as computed tomography and ultrasound, thereby reducing unnecessary hospital visits.
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Kirsteen Sullivan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the amount of theatre time provided to gynaecology in comparison to other specialties; and in what way this has changed since the Covid-19 pandemic. \p Karin Smyth: The data requested is not held by the Department.
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Chris Bloore:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total expenditure of NHS England on agency staff was in each of the last three years; and what plans his Department has to reduce the use of agency employees. \p Karin Smyth: Agency spend of National Health Service trusts in England in each of the last three years is shown in the table below and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/financial-performance-reports

Year

Expenditure (£bn)

2022/23

3.46

2023/24

3.02

2024/25

2.07

Agency spend is already going down and fell by nearly £1 billion in 2024/25.

The NHS 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance sets an expectation that trusts should reduce their temporary staffing spend by a minimum of 30% over the financial year and reduce bank spend by 10%. The accompanying Revenue finance and contracting guidance for 2025/26 sets the ambition of eliminating agency spend entirely in the coming years and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/revenue-finance-and-contracting-guidance-for-2025-26/

In June, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and the Chief Executive of NHS England wrote to trusts and integrated care boards emphasising the message in the guidance to reduce spend. The letter states that if sufficient progress is not made the Government will consider what further action it can take to reduce spend.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of conducting efficiency savings to fund more (a) clinical staff and (b) equipment in the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England’s 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance made it clear that the National Health Service must live within the budget it is allocated, reduce waste and increase productivity to deliver growth against demand. The Autumn Statement 2024 reaffirmed a 2% NHS productivity growth target for 2025/26, and the recent Spending Review set out the commitment to achieve 2% productivity growth across the Spending Review period, supported by up to £10 billion of technology and digital investment.

As part of the 2025/26 planning process, all NHS systems set efficiency and savings targets necessary to achieve a balanced financial position, and planned delivery of the other national priorities set out in planning guidance including recovering elective activity. To help organisations identify savings and plan for 2025/26, NHS England shared core productivity and efficiency metrics with benchmarked opportunities. For a given budget, savings and productivity opportunities can enable the same level of clinical staff to do more activity, or can involve savings to non-clinical areas or reduction in input costs, for example, procurement and agency savings, to enable reinvestment in additional clinical staff or non-capitalised equipment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-11 conversation_115

Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the rates of re-use or recycling of crutches, frames and other walking aids issued by NHS Trusts in England. \p Karin Smyth: The Department for Health and Social Care does not hold this data centrally. However, NHS England has confirmed that its data from 2025 show that 85% of Trusts who issue walking aids report having a walking aid refurbishment and reuse scheme in place, up from 77% in March 2024. Information on rates of re-use or recycling may be held locally by NHS trusts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-11 conversation_116

Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's planned timetable is for increasing the annual provision of specialty training places for resident doctors. \p Karin Smyth: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan published in July 2025, over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-11 conversation_117

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS staff who are on strike are permitted to work for (a) non-NHS bodies, (b) other NHS trusts and (c) other NHS organisations during days of industrial action. \p Karin Smyth: NHS staff who are on strike are allowed to work for non-NHS bodies and other NHS organisations including NHS trusts on days of industrial action, as long as they are not provided by an employment business to cover the work of striking workers. Some employment contracts may require employees to either declare to or seek permission from their employer before working for another employer.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-11 conversation_118

Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing NHS trusts to reduce mileage reimbursement to incentivise use of pool vehicles. \p Karin Smyth: Whilst no specific assessment has been made, the NHS Staff Council, which has responsibility for maintaining the Agenda for Change system of pay and terms and conditions, is currently negotiating a new mechanism that will assess the costs of motoring to determine mileage reimbursement rates. Further updates from the NHS Staff Council’s work will be made in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-11 conversation_119

Mims Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on increasing the recruitment and training of midwives since July 2024. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England publishes monthly Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England. This covers staff working for hospital trusts and integrated care in England. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, the human resources system for the National Health Service. These show that as of 30 June 2025, there are currently 24,888 full time equivalent midwives working in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. This is an increase of 1,326 or 5.6%, compared to 30 June 2024. Further information is available at the following link:

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

3,270 students have accepted places to undergraduate midwifery degrees at English providers so far in 2025. This is a 3% increase compared to the same point in 2024. This is also the first year-on-year increase in the number of acceptances since 2021, when acceptances across healthcare courses peaked, driven by interest due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/statistical-releases-daily-clearing-analysis-2025

These are not final numbers, and the Department will continue to monitor numbers of acceptances through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Services’ clearing cycle which ends in October.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-11 conversation_120

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of recent Royal College of General Practitioners guidance on levels of redundancies among GP physician associates. \p Karin Smyth: The principle question of the Leng Review was to assess whether the roles of physician assistants and physician assistants in anaesthesia, still legally known as anaesthesia associates and physician associates, are safe and effective. The review’s findings were clear that, with changes in line with its recommendations, there remains a place for these roles to continue as supportive, complementary members of medical teams.

Whilst decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers at a local level, physician assistants, and physician assistants in anaesthesia, will continue to play an important role in the NHS.

Our forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will look at how to get the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care, and we will consider the findings of the Leng Review when developing the plan.

There are no plans to reimburse training costs or provide financial compensation to physician assistants.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-11 conversation_121

Layla Moran:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the establishment of a multidisciplinary pathway for the diagnosis and management of chronic pelvic pain. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to improving the management of long-term conditions, as reflected in our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, and in our 10-Year Health Plan. Part of this will be reforming patient pathways to ensure patients with chronic conditions receive joined-up, rounded care to meet their health needs. NHS England is working with professional clinical bodies on a programme of work to reform pathways, reflecting the required shift of care from hospital to community.

Ensuring patients receive their care from skilled healthcare professionals in the right setting is an important part of pathway reform, including for chronic conditions. We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places, including for radiology and clinical oncology, meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. Over the next three years, we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need. The Government is committed to training the staff we need to provide patients with quality and timely care, including health professions. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will outline strategies for improving the training of staff and will work closely with partners in education to do so, to ensure that allied health professional remains an attractive career choice.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-11 conversation_122

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an estimate of the potential impact of his proposed reforms to the Physician Associate role on the number of redundancies of Physician Associates. \p Karin Smyth: The principle question of the Leng Review was to assess whether the roles of physician and anaesthesia associate, which we recommend should now be known as physician assistants and physician assistants in anaesthesia, are safe and effective. The review’s findings were clear that, with changes in line with its recommendations, there remains a place for these roles to continue as supportive, complementary members of medical teams.

NHS England has written to National Health Service trusts, integrated care boards, and primary care networks reiterating their responsibilities to their staff as employers, including providing pastoral support where required. Importantly, it has also written directly to the staff most affected by the recommendations setting out where they can find support if required.

Whilst decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual NHS employers at a local level, physician assistants, and physician assistants in anaesthesia, can play a vital role in the delivery of the shifts set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England. Our forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will look at how to get the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care, and we will consider the findings of the Leng Review when developing the plan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-11 conversation_123

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of cancer patients in Lincolnshire received treatment within 62 days in the last 12 months. \p Karin Smyth: Published data for the 62-day treatment standard of 85% shows that 64.5% of cancer patients in Lincolnshire received their first treatment within 62 days of referral between July 2024 and June 2025, the most recent 12-month period for which data is available. This is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-11 conversation_124

Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what purposes their Department has used artificial intelligence in the last year. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has developed, as proof-of-concept projects, artificial intelligence (AI) enabled summarisation tools that have been used to analyse and draw out key themes from free text and survey responses, as well as to summarise academic journals and parliamentary speeches. AI-enabled topic modelling tools have also been used to label text data source results and to group together similar responses in consultation analysis.

In addition, a generative AI tool, Microsoft 365 Copilot, is currently being trialled by the Department’s staff in anticipation of a Department wide roll out of the tool in October 2025.

The Department regularly reviews the usage of AI to maximise productivity benefits for staff and the public.