theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

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Gill Furniss:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce the sex and gender gap in participants for (i) healthcare research and (ii) clinical trials and (b) ensure that sex and gender dimensions are accounted for in the development of medical (A) treatments and (B) interventions. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department funds health and care research primarily through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR has made research inclusion a condition of its funding. Applicants to domestic research programmes are required to demonstrate how inclusion is being built into all stages of the research lifecycle, with significant emphasis on how participant selection is considered. Before the end of March 2026, this will also be required for global health research and infrastructure awards.

The NIHR is developing a sex and gender policy to be implemented subsequently in 2025, to ensure that NIHR research accounts for sex and gender across every stage of the research cycle, allowing for a greater understanding of how men and women might be impacted differently by the same health condition, treatment, or intervention.

The Department is also developing a new research and development innovation strategy to accelerate the development of equitable, transformational medical technology solutions. Part of the aims of this work are to eliminate sex bias in medical technology research and development, ensuring that innovations are effective and accessible for all.
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Kanishka Narayan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support the adoption of health technology innovation in the NHS. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department is looking to encourage greater innovation in the health sector to help support the three big shifts in healthcare, from hospitals to communities, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention, which are set out as part of the Government’s Health Mission.

The upcoming Life Sciences Sector Plan, as part of the United Kingdom’s industrial strategy, and the 10-Year Health Plan present significant opportunities to strengthen the UK’s life sciences sector and ensure that innovation is embedded across the healthcare system. This will build on the Department’s MedTech Strategy, published in February 2023, and the subsequent One Year On Report in April 2024, outlining our priorities for improving the adoption and spread of safe, effective, and innovative medical technologies across the National Health Service.

The 15 Health Innovation Networks across England are our regional support structure for the development and adoption of health innovation. These networks are health innovation adoption experts, with each delivering services for their local population, as well as working as a national network. They transform lives through innovation by supporting health and social care teams to find, test, and implement new solutions at scale to tackle one of the NHS’ greatest challenges, driving economic growth.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many applications to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme relating to covid-19 vaccinations have been subject to a request for mandatory reversal; how many and what proportion of such requests (a) were rejected and (b) have been outstanding for more than (i) three, (ii) six and (iii) 12 months; and how many and what proportion of rejected requests were referred to the First-Tier Tribunal. \p Ashley Dalton: As of 27 February 2025, 1,657 applications to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme relating to COVID-19 vaccinations have been subject to a request for mandatory reversal. Re-assessment has been completed for 1,073 of these applications, with 21, or 2% of, decisions reversed. A reversal does not mean that the original decision was incorrect, as claimants provide additional information during the mandatory reversal process which can alter the outcome of the assessment.

Of the outstanding claims, 333, or 20% of the total mandatory reversal applications, have been outstanding for more than three months. Of those, 200, or 12%, have been outstanding for more than six months, and of those 81, or 5%, have been outstanding for more than 12 months. 69, or 7% of, rejected mandatory reversals have been referred to the First-Tier Tribunal.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of haemopoietic stem cell transplant performed by the NHS were from UK registered donors between 1 October 2024 to 31 December 24 or the last three months for which data is available. \p Ashley Dalton: For the third quarter of 2024/25, registered donors in the United Kingdom provided by the Aligned Registry accounted for 25% (n=229) of the total unrelated, allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplants (n=931) for UK patients.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the NHS is of sourcing a haematopoietic stem cell donation from the UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry compared to stem cell donation imports from United States, Germany and Poland; and what the oversight mechanism is for agreeing these costs. \p Ashley Dalton: Details on the costs of haematopoietic stem cell transplants are not held centrally by the Department.

The UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry supplies stem cells from United Kingdom donors to the National Health Service. It is made up of four partners: Anthony Nolan and DKMS UK, which are both independent charities; NHS Blood and Transplant; and the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry. The cost to the NHS for provisions of donated peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs), cord blood units and donor lymphocytes from UK sources is reviewed annually by the UK Aligned Registry partners and reflects the costs involved in the provision of cell products. Costs are communicated to transplant centres by Anthony Nolan on behalf of the Aligned Registry, with due notice of implementation. Cost increases are maintained at or below inflation with adjustments to avoid any corresponding large increase in a given year.

For products from international sources, Anthony Nolan is the importing organisation. Products are charged at the international registry fee plus a flat service fee. The international registry fee can vary significantly, depending on the organisation or country from which the product is being imported, the graft source, whether it be PBSCs, bone marrow or cord blood units, and the current foreign exchange rate. The service fee includes: management and maintenance of the search system and international search connections; facilitating the import of the stem cell product; quality assurance and management; and legal and insurance costs for the import of stem cell products.

Fees for both UK and international cell products are charged directly to NHS transplant centres. NHS England has oversight of the tariff paid to NHS hospitals to cover the cost of unrelated donor transplantation and individual NHS hospitals or Trusts oversee how funds for unrelated transplants are allocated.

The choice of donor is made by the medical team, who choose the donor they feel will be best for their patient, whether that is a donor available in the UK or one available overseas.
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Sarah Champion:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to return HPV vaccination rates to pre-2020 levels. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works closely with several organisations to develop resources to raise awareness of the human papilloma virus (HPV). The UKHSA also publishes annual statistics, which are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/human-papillomavirus-hpv-vaccine-coverage-estimates-in-england-2022-to-2023/human-papillomavirus-hpv-vaccination-coverage-in-adolescents-in-england-2022-to-2023

These publications support local National Health Service teams in developing plans to improve uptake and reduce inequalities for the HPV universal programme. The UKHSA produces several HPV resources, which are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hpv-vaccination-programme

The NHS Commissioned School Aged Immunisation Service providers have robust catch-up plans in place for the adolescent HPV vaccination programme. To support increased access and uptake of the HPV vaccination to school aged children, NHS England continues to work with all key stakeholders at a regional level to strengthen local initiatives and encourage innovative models to approach the robust delivery of school aged vaccinations. Further information on the NHS’ ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2023/11/nhs-sets-ambition-to-eliminate-cervical-cancer-by-2040/
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the planned increase in employer National Insurance contributions on GPs. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have made necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the Autumn Budget. Resource spending for the Department will be £22.6 billion more in 2025/26 than in 2023/24, as part of the Spending Review settlement. The employers’ National Insurance rise will be implemented in April 2025.

We are investing an additional £889 million in general practice to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle childhood obesity; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits introducing measures to improve access to affordable, nutritious food options. \p Ashley Dalton: The prevention of ill health is a clear priority for the Government, and a cornerstone of this is supporting children to live healthier lives. Under the Health Mission, the Government is committed to prevention and to tackling obesity, creating a fairer, healthier food environment.

We have already laid secondary legislation to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drink to children on television and online, we have announced changes to the planning framework for fast food near schools, and we are taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose. In addition, initiatives such as the Healthy Start scheme, free school meals, and the holiday activities and food programme provide access to affordable, nutritious food options.

The Healthy Start scheme, introduced in 2006, encourages a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. Pregnant women and families with children aged over one and under four years old each receive £4.25 every week, and families with children under one years old each receive £8.50 every week. Healthy Start can be used to buy, or be put towards the cost of, fresh, frozen, or tinned fruit and vegetables, fresh, dried, or tinned pulses, milk, and infant formula. Healthy Start beneficiaries also have access to free Healthy Start vitamins.

Disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools, as well as 16 to 18-year-old students in further education, are entitled to receive free meals on the basis of low income. In addition, all children in Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 in England's state-funded schools are entitled to universal infant free school meals. The holiday activities and food programme provides free childcare places, enriching activities, and healthy meals to children from low-income families, benefiting their health, wellbeing, and learning throughout the school holidays.

We are also working collaboratively across the Government to deliver a resilient food system that promotes health and food security. The Food Strategy will work to provide healthier, more easily accessible food to help people live longer, healthier lives.
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Susan Murray:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to regulate the packaging of vapes to provide similar safeguards to that of cigarettes. \p Ashley Dalton: It is very worrying that approximately 25% of 11 to 15-year-olds have tried vaping, despite the risks of nicotine addiction. Evidence suggests that vapes appeal to children because of the brightly coloured packaging, amongst other child-friendly features. Evidence also indicates that the nicotine content descriptions on vape packaging are not consistent between packaging, preventing adults from making informed decisions on nicotine strength.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill provides my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care with regulation-making powers to introduce new requirements on retail packaging, including for vaping products and nicotine products. There is a balance to be struck between reducing the appeal of vapes to non-smokers, particularly children, whilst considering the implications for adult smokers to ensure we can achieve the greatest possible impact.

It is our intention to regulate the appeal of vapes to children, whilst minimising the impact on adult smokers. We plan on consulting on the preferred options to get this balance right as soon as possible after the bill gains Royal Assent.
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Gareth Snell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of recorded deaths due to anaphylaxis in the last 10 years. \p Ashley Dalton: Data regarding anaphylaxis-related deaths in England and Wales is documented by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology also holds a register to capture and learn from fatal cases of anaphylaxis, the UK Fatal Anaphylaxis Register, which has been operational since 1992.

The following table shows the number of deaths in England and Wales where fatal anaphylactic reactions were reported as the underlying cause of death:

Registration Year

Deaths

2014

1,429

2015

1,598

2016

1,563

2017

1,646

2018

1,731

2019

1,597

2020

1,674

2021

1,465

2022

1,645

2023

1,665

Source: ONS

The following table shows the number of deaths in England and Wales where fatal anaphylactic reactions were mentioned on the death certificate:

Registration year

Deaths

2014

8,112

2015

8,170

2016

8,324

2017

8,580

2018

8,455

2019

8,259

2020

11,379

2021

10,972

2022

8,879

2023

8,645

Source: ONS
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the number of haemopoietic stem cell transplants sourced from the UK. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department’s Stem Cell Programme has provided £2.4 million of funding for the period 2022-25. The programme is being delivered by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and Anthony Nolan. It aims to enhance the resilience of the United Kingdom's stem cell supply by strategically recruiting donors, particularly those most likely to donate, and to address health disparities through targeted campaigns, with a focus on ethnic minority communities. By increasing the pool of potential donors, the programme seeks to improve the availability of matches in the UK, ultimately reducing waiting times for patients in need of stem cell treatment.

The UK aligned registry has over 2.3 million potential stem cell donors registered. NHSBT and Anthony Nolan are raising awareness of the importance of stem cell donation and increasing the number of donors on the register through a range of methods including partnering with community organisations, working with volunteer student groups, and engaging with active blood, plasma and platelet donors.
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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many adults are on the waiting list for ADHD assessments in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East. \p Stephen Kinnock: There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nationally or for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, the relevant information may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.

We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.

In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop a data improvement plan, understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from integrated care boards (ICB) who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services.

The NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB advises that it has developed a Mental Health, Learning Disability and Neurodiversity Improvement Plan, which is available publicly at the following link:

https://northeastnorthcumbria.nhs.uk/about-us/corporate-information/governance/meetings/board-meeting-held-in-public-tuesday-1-october-2024/

The ICB has advised that it has established an all-age ADHD and autism working group which will be responsible for understanding the current pathways and for making recommendations to improve the pathways and capacity in future. The ICB’s review of the ADHD pathway commenced in December 2024 and will include stakeholders from the NHS, local authorities, and the community and voluntary sector, and will also consider the best way to engage people with lived experience of ADHD. The ICB also continues to work across the region with local providers of ADHD services and local authorities on the transformation of these pathways, including the 'waiting well' offer for support.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle disparities in length of periods of poor health between (a) people in Somerset and (b) the national average. \p Ashley Dalton: The United Kingdom faces significant health inequalities, with life expectancy varying widely across and within communities. The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain by tackling the structural inequalities that contribute to poor health, particularly for disadvantaged groups.

The population health priorities in the South West focus on improving population health outcomes and reducing health inequalities and health disparities for inclusion groups. This includes increasing the detection and treatment of people with hypertension, improving the uptake of health checks, increasing the number of people supported to stop smoking, improving the support to people at risk of self-harming, and increasing the number of people affected by long term sickness who are supported back into employment.

The Somerset local authority received £23.1 million in Public Health Grant funding in 2024/25. This provides services such as stop smoking, drug and alcohol treatment, health visiting and school nursing, sexual health, and NHS Health Checks among others, all of which contribute to addressing health inequalities.

In the South West region, assurance and support for inequalities and inclusion is led by the regional health inequalities team, who work as a blended team across both NHS England and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, and who collaborate with national and integrated care system colleagues, including the Directors of Public Health within the region. The health inequalities team supports systems to accelerate the narrowing of gaps in population health outcomes relating to specific South West priorities, and supports the national Core20PLUS5 approach and the implementation of the digital inclusion framework.
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Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of NHS Dentist appointments in (a) Leicester East constituency, (b) Leicestershire and (c) England. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.

For Leicester East constituency and Leicester, this is NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB. ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025 and 10,137 appointments are expected to be commissioned in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB.
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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce a Cancer Care Plan for (a) children and (b) young people. \p Ashley Dalton: We are committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster, so that more children and young people survive, and we will improve the experience of young cancer patients across the system.

That’s why on 4 February 2025 we relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for children and young people with cancer. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement across detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience

The taskforce will ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan, due for publication in the second half of 2025.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) retain existing GPs and (b) recruit new GPs. \p Stephen Kinnock: In December 2024, there were 1,123 fewer full time equivalent (FTE) fully qualified general practitioners (GPs) than in December 2016.

We are starting to see consistent growth in the fully qualified GP workforce, with headcount numbers of fully qualified GPs increasing for the past 18 months and full time equivalent numbers increasing for 16 out of the past 18 months. As of December 2024, there were 1,982 more FTE doctors working at practice level compared to December 2023.

We have committed to training more GPs across the country and to recruiting over 1,000 newly qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25. My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has confirmed that recently qualified GPs who are employed via the ARRS will continue to be supported through the scheme in 2025/26.

In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.

Our commitment to growing the GP workforce includes addressing the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encouraging them to return to practice. We know that high workloads can be a key driver for GPs reducing their contracted hours or leaving the profession altogether. That is why we are tackling morale through drivers such as growing the workforce and reducing bureaucracy through our Red Tape Challenge to improve job satisfaction and reduce the risk of burnout.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to review allergen labelling requirements for non-prepacked foods and beverages; and whether he plans to take steps to implement the Food Standards Agency's recommendations for improving allergen information at the point of sale. \p Ashley Dalton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for food safety, including food allergen labelling, in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and is working to improve the availability and accuracy of allergen information for non-prepacked foods, which includes foods made to order in restaurants.

In December 2023, the FSA Board agreed that businesses selling non-prepacked foods, such as cafes and restaurants, should provide allergen information to consumers in writing, and that this should be supported by a conversation. Following the Board’s decision, FSA officials are working to assess the impact of different legislative options for improving the provision of allergen information for non-prepacked foods.

Officials in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department of Health and Social Care are being kept closely informed on the progress of this work.

In parallel, taking a steer from the Board, the FSA has created best practice guidance for businesses to provide written allergen information and support this with a conversation, which has recently been through a public consultation. This guidance, along with tools to assist businesses in following it, will be published shortly.
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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce delays in accessing cancer treatment in South Warwickshire. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department is committed to reducing waiting times for cancer treatment and improving access to treatment across England, including in South Warwickshire. We will achieve this by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment. The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and access to treatment. Furthermore, it will ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. These actions will help bring this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Baroness Casey of Blackstock will be paid for her review into social care; and how many civil servants have been assigned to support that review. \p Stephen Kinnock: Baroness Casey of Blackstock will be paid for her role as Chair of the independent commission. We are currently in the process of recruiting the Commission Secretariat and therefore the number of civil servants supporting the commission is still to be confirmed.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether patients who have changed gender from female to male are still automatically invited to cervical screening. \p Ashley Dalton: The NHS Cervical Screening Programme provides all women and people with a cervix between the ages of 25 and 64 years old with the opportunity to be screened routinely to detect certain types of human papillomavirus infection, which is the cause of 99.7% of cervical cancer.

Trans men who are still registered as female with their general practice (GP) will be routinely invited to cervical screenings. Trans men registered as male do not automatically receive invitations, but are still entitled to screenings if they still have a cervix.

Trans men who want to have cervical screenings should ask their GP to contact the NHS Cervical Screening Programme so that they are opted-in on the Cervical Screening Management System and invited for screenings correctly.
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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2025 to Question 30436 on GPs, what proportion of the 38,000 additional roles recruited through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme are GPs. \p Stephen Kinnock: Over 38,000 direct patient care roles such as pharmacists and physios have been recruited into practices and primary care networks (PCNs) from March 2019 to December 2024. This data does not include general practitioners (GPs) employed through the scheme.

PCNs have been able to recruit newly qualified GPs through the scheme since October 2024. Information on the number of recently qualified general practitioners for which primary care networks are claiming reimbursement via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme is currently being collated but is not yet published. We are working to collate and verify the data and establish its reliability, which is necessary before any dataset can be published.
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Peter Dowd:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that there are an adequate number of health professionals trained in (a) identifying and (b) supporting people affected by Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). \p Ashley Dalton: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a very rare but rapidly progressive and fatal disease. Effective diagnostic and care services are important in ensuring that patients and their families get the support that they need. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for CJD. Treatment options focus on symptom control and palliative care.

Specialist diagnostic services are provided by the National CJD Research and Surveillance Unit. From April 2025, funding for these services is being transferred from the National Institute for Health and Care Research to NHS England.
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Julia Buckley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of waiting times for children’s mental health services, between the point of initial assessment and starting treatment. \p Stephen Kinnock: No such assessment has been made, as the Mental Health Services Data Set does not collect data from ‘initial assessment to starting treatment’.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the spread of respiratory syncytial virus on hospital capacity. \p Ashley Dalton: Through the Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Watch programme, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) undertakes surveillance of hospitalisation rates in different age groups for confirmed cases of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in England. These rates are published weekly through the winter.

The UKHSA also undertakes monitoring and evaluation of immunisation programmes, including the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing hospital admissions. Monitoring and evaluation work has begun for the new RSV programmes which launched in September 2024 to protect infants through maternal vaccination and for the direct protection of older adults. Findings will be published in due course.
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Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the NHS Long Term Plan will focus on improving the respiratory health of people in (a) Redbridge, (b) Ilford South constituency and (c) England. \p Ashley Dalton: The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts the National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country. More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including respiratory conditions, closer to home. Moving from sickness to prevention will help us reduce the causes of the biggest killers, and provide treatment earlier, rather than only intervening when conditions deteriorate.

In advance of the 10-Year Health Plan, NHS England has established 13 respiratory clinical networks across the country. These have been vital in providing clinical leadership for respiratory services and supporting services in primary care, including restoring spirometry, which is one of the tests used to diagnose pulmonary fibrosis.

As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we have launched a significant public engagement process and we would encourage all those with an interest in respiratory health care services to take part in that process, so that we can fully understand what is not working as well as it should and what the potential solutions are. More information on the process is available at the following link:

https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_144

Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when (a) he and (b) the Minister of State for Care last met with Community Pharmacy England. \p Stephen Kinnock: I last met with Community Pharmacy England on 25 February 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_145

Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2025 to Question 30436 on GPs, what progress he has made of recruiting more than 1,000 GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. \p Stephen Kinnock: When the Government became aware of the reports of general practitioner (GP) unemployment amongst newly qualified GPs, we acted immediately and identified £82 million of additional funding to allow for newly qualified GPs to be employed through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, as a first step in addressing the issues of GP unemployment and increasing capacity so that patients can access appointments.

Information on the number of recently qualified GPs for which primary care networks are claiming reimbursement via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme is currently being collated, but is not yet published. We are working to verify the data and establish its reliability, which is necessary before any dataset can be published.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_146

Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GPs have been employed under the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. \p Stephen Kinnock: Primary care networks have been able to recruit newly qualified general practitioners (GPs) through the scheme since October 2024, with £82 million in funding provided in 2024/25. Information on the number of recently qualified GPs for which primary care networks are claiming reimbursement via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme is currently being collated, but is not yet published. We are working to verify the data and establish its reliability, which is necessary before any dataset can be published.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_147

Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press notice entitled Dental patients to benefit from 700,000 extra urgent appointments, published on 21 February 2025, if he will list the number of additional urgent dental appointments that will be made available in each Integrated Care Board area. \p Stephen Kinnock: We will deliver 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments per year, and have already requested that integrated care boards (ICBs) start making extra appointments available from April 2025. NHS England issued a letter to the ICBs to start the rollout of the 700,000 urgent dental appointments. The letter provides specific targets for each ICB and the number of additional appointments they are expected to deliver, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/arrangements-for-nhs-urgent-primary-dental-care-during-2025-26-and-confirmation-of-the-closure-of-the-new-patient-premium-scheme/#annex-a-distribution-of-700k-additional-appointments
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_148

Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce potential disparities between waiting times for mental health services and physical health services and (b) ensure mental health is given equal priority to physical health. \p Stephen Kinnock: We recognise that people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health. This includes recruiting 8,500 more mental health workers, introducing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, rolling out Young Futures hubs in every community, and modernising the Mental Health Act.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_149

Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Dental patients to benefit from 700,000 extra urgent appointments, published on 21 February 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to provide additional urgent dental appointments on (a) patients and (b) dental surgeries. \p Stephen Kinnock: National Health Service planning guidance has now been published for 2025/26 and sets out the funding available to integrated care boards (ICBs). Planning guidance also confirms that improving access to urgent dental appointments is a key national priority.

We will deliver 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments per year, and have asked that ICBs start making extra appointments available for patients from April 2025.

Whilst NHS England is not mandating an approach to the purchasing of these additional appointments, ICBs could consider options such as buying more appointments through new or recommissioned contracts, through modification of existing contracts, or by using flexible commissioning.

For the remainder of 2024/25, ICBs should continue to secure additional urgent care capacity and offer contractors providing mandatory services additional funded activity up to 110% where feasible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_150

Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he had made of the number of GP appointments performed by each of the Spine Directory Service roles in 2024. \p Stephen Kinnock: In 2024, across the general practices (GPs) and primary care networks in England, over 165.8 million appointments were delivered by GPs, 77.3 million were delivered by nurses, 95 million were delivered by other direct patient care staff, and 40.1 million were delivered by professionals of an unknown spine directory service role. There has been a 9.6% increase in appointments delivered in GPs within the last year. In December 2024, 29.2 million appointments were delivered, an increase of 2.5 million appointments compared to December 2023, when 26.7 million were delivered.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_151

Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the changes made to the death certification process implemented in September 2024 on the time taken to process death certificates. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is monitoring the impact of the death certification reforms which came into legal effect on 9 September 2024. Early data indicates the median time taken to register a death appears to have risen by one day, from seven days to eight. This figure is for all deaths, as it includes those certified by a doctor and those investigated by a coroner. The average time taken to register has increased further over the Christmas weeks, but this was expected given increases are observed during this period every year. Latest data from the Office for National Statistics indicates that the average time has subsequently decreased.

The median time taken to register a death varies depending on the type of certification. Deaths certified by a doctor, that comprise approximately 80% of deaths registered each week, have typically had a median time to registration of seven days, though there can be variation at a local level. It is important to note that the medical examiner system was active on a non-statutory basis before the introduction of the statutory system on 9 September 2024, and this makes direct ‘before’ and ‘after’ comparisons challenging to draw conclusions from.

The core purposes of the death certification reforms are to introduce scrutiny of the cause of death to detect and deter malpractice, to improve reporting, and crucially to put the bereaved at the centre of the process by offering a conversation with the medical examiner about the cause of death. The expectation on doctors and medical examiners is clear, that they should complete certification as quickly and efficiently as possible, and the Government is working with all stakeholders to make sure this is the case.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_152

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many General Practice contracts have been returned since 4 July 2024. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department does not hold data regarding how many general practice contracts have been returned.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_153

Uma Kumaran:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to make clean air a public health priority. \p Ashley Dalton: Improving the environment where we live, work, and play is critical to support everyone to live longer healthier lives. We know that air pollution is one of the greatest environmental risks to public health in the United Kingdom and so tackling it plays a crucial role in the shift from treatment to prevention of ill health.

Leading our Health Mission, the Department of Health and Social Care is working across Government on ways to reduce the health harms of air pollution, including with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to support their plans for cleaner air so that everyone’s exposure to air pollution is reduced.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_154

Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Procurement Policy Statement published on 13 February 2025, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that supplier requirements include statutory sick pay from day one in healthcare contracts. \p Karin Smyth: The National Procurement Policy Statement states that contracting authorities should ensure that their suppliers are committed to providing high quality jobs, safe and healthy working conditions, fair pay, and opportunity and progression for their workers.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is the minimum amount an employer is required to pay to their employee when they are sick, where the employee meets the qualifying conditions. Through the Employment Rights Bill, the Government is widening eligibility to the up to 1.3 million employees who are currently not entitled to SSP by removing the Lower Earnings Limit and removing the waiting period, so that SSP is paid from the first day of work missed due to sickness absence. We are also creating a single enforcement body, The Fair Work Agency, which will bring existing state enforcement functions together into one place, so employment rights are enforced more effectively and efficiently. This will include the enforcement of the right to SSP. These measures are part of our commitment to implement our Plan to Make Work Pay, ensuring the safety net of sick pay is available to those who need it most.