theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people being treated for prostate cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: The latest Cancer Waiting Times data published by NHS England shows that 4,441 people started their first treatment for prostate cancer in August 2025 under the 31-day cancer waiting time standard.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of osteoporosis. \p Ashley Dalton: In July, we published the 10-Year Health Plan, which committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030.

The National Fracture Liaison Service database is a clinically-led national audit of secondary fracture prevention in England and Wales, commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership and delivered by the Royal College of Physicians. It collects and publishes data on individual Fracture Liaison Services and uses internationally recognised standards as the key performance indicators that these services are measured against. The data is publicly available.

Additionally, the National Health Service website, along with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Royal Osteoporosis Society, has information and resources for patients to learn about osteoporosis, including advice on how to manage osteoporosis and advice on lifestyle changes that patients can make to improve their bone health and reduce their risk of fractures. The Royal College of General Practitioners’ e-learning module on the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis also suggests resources that clinicians can use with their patients.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will (a) collected and (b) publish data on people diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in the upcoming NHS cancer plan. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department recognises the importance of robust and timely data on people diagnosed with secondary (metastatic) breast cancer to support service planning and improve outcomes.

Work is already under way. NHS England commissioned clinical audits on metastatic breast cancer to increase the consistency of access to treatments. The National Audit of Metastatic (Secondary) Breast Cancer (NAoMe) results are based on data about people in England and Wales diagnosed and treated for metastatic breast cancer between January 2020 and December 2022. The Department and NHS England are now acting on the audit’s findings.

The National Cancer Plan is due to be published in early 2026. We have received more than 11,000 responses to our Call for Evidence and have had significant ongoing engagement with patients, clinicians, and charities. The Department is working closely with NHS England and cancer registration and audit bodies to ensure that data on secondary breast cancer continues to be collected, analysed and, where appropriate, made publicly available in line with national data standards.
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Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to delegate the commissioning of vaccination and immunisation services to integrated care boards from April 2026. \p Ashley Dalton: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 September 2025 to Question PQ76374.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the forthcoming (a) Cancer Plan and (b) 10 Year Workforce Plan will include plans to ensure that the NHS have the necessary levels of staff to meet its targets for (i) diagnosing and (ii) treating breast cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. This will also include how we can reform the workforce to improve cancer patient outcomes, including for patients with breast cancer.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups. We are committed to working with partners to ensure the plan meets its aims and we will engage with independent experts to make sure the plan is ambitious, forward looking, and evidence based. To support this, the Department and NHS England will be engaging with key stakeholders to ensure that the needs of different patient groups, including patients with breast cancer, and relevant health professionals are reflected in this work.
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Cat Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the recommendations in his Department's policy paper entitled Licensing policy sprint: joint industry and HM government taskforce report, published on 31 July 2025, on the (a) ill health to prevention workstream of the Health Mission Board and (b) specific priority of tackling alcohol harm within the Health Mission Board. \p Ashley Dalton: Following the Licensing Taskforce, which was jointly let by the Department for Business and Trade and industry, the Government is considering which recommendations to take forward. As part of this, the Government is inviting views and evidence to inform the development of a modern, proportionate, and enabling licensing system, including public health considerations. This work is being led by the Department for Business and Trade and the Home Office with support from other departments, including the Department of Health and Social Care.

A Call for Evidence is currently open until 6 November in order to gather views and evidence to inform proposals for reforms to licensing. This is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/reforming-the-licensing-system

Public health considerations will be kept under review. Any legislative changes will be subject to an impact assessment, consultation, and parliamentary scrutiny.

We will continue to work across Government to consider what other measures might be needed to reduce the negative impact that excessive alcohol consumption is having on health, crime, and the economy.
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Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to introduce an (a) diagnostic protocol for bowel cancer in patients under 50 and (b) a mandatory referral for colonoscopy after two presentations of unresolved rectal bleeding. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department is committed to ensuring that people of all ages with symptoms of bowel cancer are diagnosed as quickly as possible. Clinicians should use their judgment in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance to ensure that every patient receives timely and appropriate investigation for bowel cancer, including patients aged under 50 years old presenting with unresolved rectal bleeding.

Guidance on referral for suspected cancer is developed and maintained by NICE. The guideline NG12 sets out the symptoms which should prompt referral for urgent investigation. For lower gastrointestinal cancer, there are several indications for patients aged under 50 years old which would be expected to result in referral. Further information can be found on the NICE website at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng12/chapter/Recommendations-organised-by-site-of-cancer#lower-gastrointestinal-tract-cancers
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that cancer patients in Oxfordshire have timely access to radiotherapy services. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department remains committed to ensuring that all patients have access to timely diagnosis and treatments, including those in Oxfordshire.

We have invested £70 million of central funding into new radiotherapy treatment machines to replace older, less efficient machines. These new machines are currently being rolled out to trusts throughout the country. These newer machines will reduce treatment times, boost productivity, and allow more patients to be seen over the same period.

The National Cancer Plan, which we will publish in the new year, will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will ensure patients, including those in Oxfordshire, have timely access to the latest treatments and technology.
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Navendu Mishra:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of precision medicine on the (a) life expectancy and (b) quality of life of people living with motor neurone disease. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a future where genomic information and insights are fundamental to healthcare, enabling precision medicine, predictive prevention, and personalised treatment, including for people with motor neurone disease.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has selected tofersen for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis caused by SOD1 gene mutations as a topic for guidance development through its Highly Specialised Technology (HST) programme. The HST programme appraises medicines for the treatment of very rare, and often very severe diseases, and evaluates whether they can be considered a clinically and cost-effective use of National Health Service resources. If a positive recommendation is made, then NHS commissioners will be under a legal duty to fund the treatment for all eligible patients in England.
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Navendu Mishra:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) training and (b) awareness of healthcare professionals in (i) diagnosing and (ii) supporting people with (A) myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome and (B) long COVID. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department published the final myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), delivery plan on 22 July. The plan focusses on boosting research, improving education and attitudes, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.

To support healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS, as set out in the ME/CFS Final Delivery Plan, the Department has worked with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme on ME/CFS for healthcare professionals, with the aim of supporting staff to be able to provide better care and improve patient outcomes. All three sessions of the e-learning programme are now available on the NHS.UK website, with sessions one and two having universal access whilst the third session is only available to healthcare professionals, at the following link:

https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/mecfselearning?nodeId=7288.

The Medical Schools Council will promote the NHS England e-learning programme on ME/CFS to all United Kingdom medical schools and will encourage those medical schools to provide undergraduates with direct patient experience of ME/CFS. The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulator of medical schools, and it is important that education is reenforced at different stages of medical training. Royal colleges play an important role in this. The GMC has included ME/CFS in the content map for the new national exam, so all medical schools will need to teach it as a subject.

There is also targeted advice for healthcare professionals to manage long COVID. Patients should be managed according to current clinical guidance, such as that published and updated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG188
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Dame Siobhain McDonagh:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of local authority-led initiatives to increase physical activity on public health outcomes. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department recognises the vital role of local authorities in promoting physical activity and continues to support them with this through the Public Health Grant, the Public Health Outcomes Framework, and by working with other departments on the development of a standard evaluation framework to help assess the impact of physical activity interventions like active travel.
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Luke Akehurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) nurses and (b) other healthcare professionals exposed to hazardous medicinal products. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has not made an estimate of the number of (a) nurses and (b) other healthcare professionals exposed to hazardous medicinal products.

Any incidents involving staff exposure to hazardous medical products are reported and handled through local National Health Service body reporting procedures. Risk assessments should be undertaken routinely and mitigations put in place to minimise any environmental exposure to health care professionals (and others) relating to “hazardous medicinal products”.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Elective Recovery Plan, published on 6 January 2025, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of targeted measures to reduce gynaecology waiting list. \p Karin Smyth: Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission. We have exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra 2 million operations, scans, and appointments, having delivered 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and 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 National Health Service constitutional standard – by March 2029.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard. Since our plan was published, we have seen improvements in gynaecology. Average waits have reduced from 15.9 weeks in January 2025 to 15.2 weeks in August 2025, and the number of patients waiting 18 weeks or less from referral to treatment has increased from 55.2% in January 2025 to 56.4% in August 2025. But we know there is still much more to do, and we will continue to support NHS trusts to deliver our targets through innovation, sharing best practice to increase productivity and efficiency, and ensuring the best value is delivered.

The Elective Reform Plan also committed to piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres (CDCs) as part of broader work to develop pathway improvements. So far over 200 pathway projects have been funded from the CDC Pathway Development Fund 2025/26, including gynaecology pathways.
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Dan Carden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October to Question 84069 on Physician Assistants, if his Department will set out a timeline for reviewing existing guidance for employers. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England is currently considering next steps for supporting the wider National Health Service and relevant stakeholders to implement the recommendations of the Leng Review, starting with those focused on patient safety, as requested by the Government.

We will continue to work closely and collaboratively with partners across the NHS, the clinical professions, and their representative bodies so that patients receive safe, effective, and compassionate care in line with the relevant legal and clinical processes. As part of this, NHS England will be working with NHS Employers over the coming months, supported by colleagues in the regions, to consider what guidance and support can be provided to the system to implement those recommendations related to the employment of physician assistants.

As further information to support implementation of the recommendations is available, it will be published at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/response-to-recommendations-from-the-independent-review-of-physician-associates-and-anaesthesia-associates/
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients admitted to hospital with (a) covid, (b) flu and (c) respiratory syncytial virus in (i) 2025, (ii) 2024 and (iii) 2023. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England publishes data on hospital admissions, including due to influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The data is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/hospital-accident--emergency-activity

NHS England publishes data on hospital admissions including those that relate to the number of patients admitted with COVID-19. The data is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/

The following table shows the number of hospital admissions for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV in 2023/24 and 2024/25:

Hospital Admissions

2023/24

2024/25

Influenza

28,003

59,320

RSV

19,572

19,457

COVID-19

35,507

23,507

Source: NHS England Digital
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Ian Sollom:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the data on incidence of corridor care to be published by NHS England. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to tackling the unacceptable practice of corridor care in our National Health Service. Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, sets out steps we are taking, including the commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care.

NHS England has been working with trusts since 2024 to put in place new reporting arrangements related to the use of temporary escalation spaces, to drive improvement. The data quality is currently being reviewed, and the information will be published shortly.
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Ian Sollom:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has given to integrated care boards on covering redundancy programme costs. \p Karin Smyth: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Ian Sollom:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether integrated care boards will be given additional one-off funding for redundancy programmes to meet the 50% cost reduction target. \p Karin Smyth: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Peter Prinsley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will implement a formal mentoring programme for doctors. \p Karin Smyth: There are currently no plans for a central mentoring programme for doctors. Such programmes are provided by some National Health Service trusts, integrated care boards and Royal Colleges.
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS England staff who (a) have long term health conditions and (b) are considered disabled under the Equality Act 2010 have raised concerns about not having a suitable substantive role in the past 12 months. \p Karin Smyth: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the extent of regional disparities in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS England staff have raised complaints on not having a suitable role following their raising concerns through (a) formal and (b) informal processes in each year for which information is available. \p Karin Smyth: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Dr Beccy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will initiate a review of the (a) structure and (b) terms of reference of the NHS Business Services Authority following the NHS 10 Year Plan. \p Karin Smyth: As a Special Health Authority and Arm’s-Length Body of the Department of Health and Social Care, the National Health Service Business Services Authority’s (NHSBSA) strategic and structural alignment with government objectives and its Framework Document are reviewed regularly by Departmental sponsors.

Discussions between officials within NHSBSA, NHS England and the Department are ongoing concerning NHSBSA’s role and services to the health and social care system and the public. This includes the support it can provide to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan.
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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many beds at University Hospitals Dorset were occupied on (a) 1 April and (b) 1 October 2025 by patients with no criteria to reside. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to allocate targeted capital funding to ensure that (a) maternity and (b) neonatal services can operate in (i) safe and (ii) fit-for-purpose buildings. \p Karin Smyth: We recognise that maintaining and repairing our healthcare estate is a vital part of the Government’s ambition to create a National Health Service that is fit for purpose.

As a first step towards improving our maternity and neonatal estate, we are investing £131 million through the 2025/26 Estates Safety Fund to address critical safety risks on the maternity estate, enabling safety and better care for mothers and their newborns. The funded works will delivery vital safety improvements, enhance patient and staff environments, and support NHS productivity by reducing disruptions across NHS clinical services. The Government is also backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital in 2025/26, enabling systems to allocate funding to maternity and neonatal services where this is a local priority.

In addition, £30 billion will be invested over the next five years in day-to-day maintenance and repair of the NHS estate, with over £5 billion specifically allocated to address the most critical building repairs, reducing the most serious and critical infrastructure risk in a targeted way.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a (a) national standard and (b) mutual recognition framework for First Aid training across NHS trusts. \p Karin Smyth: Due to the number of professional clinicians working across the National Health Service, first aid training is not a requirement for NHS staff and is only relevant in settings where clinicians do not work.

The mutual recognition agreement, signed by 262 NHS organisations across England, covers all Core Skills Training Framework Subjects, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Additionally, the Statutory and Mandatory e-learning programme includes four resuscitation sessions which are freely available to all health and social care staff.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions in the budgets for Integrated Care Boards on (a) specialist services for women and (b) Women’s health hubs. \p Karin Smyth: Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the abolition of NHS England, we are clear on the need for a smaller centre, as well as scaling back integrated care board (ICB) running costs and National Health Service provider corporate cost reductions to reduce waste and bureaucracy.

The Spending Review 2025 settlement provides an additional £29 billion of annual day-to-day spending in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. We are now carefully reviewing how the settlement is prioritised.

We are supporting ICBs to continue improving their delivery of women’s health hubs, in line with their responsibility to commission services that meet the needs of women in their local populations.

We have heard from ICBs on the positive impacts that women’s health hubs have had on both women's access to care in the community and their experience. The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and to support ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost to the NHS of staff being required to undertake duplicate First Aid training when working across multiple NHS trusts. \p Karin Smyth: Due to the number of professional clinicians working across the National Health Service, first aid training is not a requirement for NHS staff and is only relevant in settings where clinicians do not work.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will commit to (a) quantifying and (b) modelling (i) current and (ii) future NHS workforce shortages in diagnostic and imaging services; and if his Department will commit to working with the sector to develop a plan to address these shortfalls, in the context of the development of the 10-year workforce plan. \p Karin Smyth: The Government will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026. This Plan will set out action to create a workforce able to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. It is important we do this in a robust and joined up way and so we are engaging extensively with partners and the sector to ensure this Plan delivers for staff and patients.

Our call for evidence, due to close on 7 November 2025, is seeking evidence and views primarily from healthcare organisations and those with expertise in workforce planning to inform the development of the 10 Year Workforce Plan.

We are already quantifying and modelling current and future workforce shortages in diagnostic imaging services through the work on the 10 Year Workforce Plan. This will provide an agreed position on current and future workforce gaps, and outline solutions for demand and supply optimisation to manage these.

We are committed to expanding the diagnostics workforce in line with demand for skills and where pressures are greatest including ensuring there is sufficient workforce capacity in community diagnostic centres.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of current NHS staffing levels in (a) hospitals and (b) general practice. \p Karin Smyth: National Health Service hospitals and healthcare providers, such as general practices, are responsible for ensuring that there are sufficient staff to provide safe care for their patients.

Providers already have a duty through Regulation 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 to regularly review the number of staff and range of skills needed to safely meet the needs of people using their services.

We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. They will be more empowered, more flexible and more fulfilled.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of NHS dentists in the Newton Abbot constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Newton Abbot constituency, this is the Devon ICB.

We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments. ICBs have been making extra appointments available from 1 April 2025.

ICBs are recruiting dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. The Government is committed to achieving fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.

We recently held a full public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and the quality of, NHS dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation closed on 19 August. The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.
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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many primary care providers have joined the Pride in Practice programme in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East. \p Stephen Kinnock: This information is not held by the Department or NHS England. The LGBT Foundation runs Pride in Practice. Further information on Pride in Practice, including coverage, can be found on the LGBT Foundation’s website.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-05 conversation_239

Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the capacity of GP services to meet demand in Gloucestershire. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are expanding capacity in general practice, which will help to deliver more appointments to patients across the country, including in Gloucestershire.   In October 2024, we invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of an additional 2,000 general practitioners into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. We have invested an additional £1.1 billion in general practices to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service. This is the biggest increase in over a decade. Additionally, the new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 general practices across England to deliver 8.3 million more appointments each year.

In the 12 months to August 2025, 4.74 million appointments were delivered in the Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, which is a 3.2% increase from the previous year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-05 conversation_240

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a national strategy for palliative and end-of-life care. \p Stephen Kinnock: We recognise the challenges the palliative care and end of life care sector faces. The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

We will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.
wrans/answers2025-11-05 conversation_241
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-05 conversation_241

Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of online GP booking systems on people who are digitally excluded. \p Stephen Kinnock: Since 1 October, general practices (GP) have been required to keep their online consultations tools on throughout core hours, from 8:00am to 6:30pm Monday to Friday, for non-urgent and routine requests.

Patients are able to get in touch with their GP via an online form during these hours to request an appointment or to raise a query.

We understand that not all patients can or want to use online services. To ensure that patients are not digitally excluded, the GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a GP. We have also committed to work with digital transformation teams in integrated care boards and with groups at risk of digital exclusion to ensure digital solutions are inclusive.

People unable to access online services, or visit their GP in person, can ask for a feature called proxy access available through the NHS App. This function allows a trusted relative or carer to act on the patient’s behalf and can be set up through the patient’s GP surgery, so that they can help them manage their health and care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-05 conversation_242

Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the challenges faced by not-for-profit care homes. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in tackling any challenges they face.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have the duty to shape their care market and commission a range of high-quality, sustainable, and person-centred care and support services to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes building close working relationships with care providers to achieve a sustainable balance of quality, effectiveness, and value for money.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-05 conversation_243

Tim Roca:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the distance people in Macclesfield need to travel for (a) care and (b) specialist treatments. \p Stephen Kinnock: The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service.

The Neighbourhood Health Service will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a person’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and only in a hospital if necessary.

This will rebalance our health and care system so that it fits around people’s lives, not the other way round, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach and giving people more power and choice over the care they receive.

Our aim is to have a Neighbourhood Health Centre in each community that provides easier, more convenient access to a full range of health and care services on people’s doorsteps, bringing together National Health Service, local authority, and voluntary sector services in one building to help create a holistic offer that meets the needs of local populations.

We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in rural communities, coastal towns, and deprived inner cities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-05 conversation_244

Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of increases in employers' National Insurance contributions on trends in levels of fees for care homes. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government took the cost pressures facing adult social care, including changes to employer National Insurance contributions and increases to the National Living Wage, into account as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the 2024 Autumn Budget process.

To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government has made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26.

In addition, the 2025 Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.

We recognise the importance of fee rates, which meet the costs of delivering care and which enable providers to recruit and retain staff, which is why we have also provided the Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund to local authorities since 2023/24, with one of the three target areas local authorities can spend their allocations on being to improve fee rates to providers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-05 conversation_245

Fabian Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role mayoral authorities will play in the delivery of Neighbourhood Health Plans. \p Stephen Kinnock: The wide range of local government responsibilities relevant to health and wellbeing, including social care, public health, and beyond, are central to our vision for Neighbourhood Health. Neighbourhood Health will move care out of hospitals and into communities, with more personalised, proactive, and integrated services starting from where and how people live their lives. This will involve building stronger links to wider local government services such as housing, family hubs, and programmes such as Pride in Place, as well as links with wider civil society including the voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector.

We are working closely with the Local Government Association to develop a national framework setting out how the National Health Service, local authorities, and partners should work together under the leadership of health and wellbeing boards to develop and implement local neighbourhood health plans.

NHS, local authority, and VCSE services will be co-located in neighbourhood health centres, bringing together a wide range of services to holistically meet the needs of local populations.

Neighbourhood teams and services should be designed to reflect the needs of people in their local areas, with licence to tailor the approach to local needs and with an expectation of crossing organisational boundaries.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-05 conversation_246

Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to adapt pharmacy contracts so that pharmacies can be re-located to areas of high need. \p Stephen Kinnock: Community pharmacies are private businesses that provide National Health Service funded services.

There were 10,402 community pharmacies on 30 September 2025. In general, despite a reduction in the number of pharmacies in recent years, patient access to pharmacies remains good, and continues to be better in the most deprived areas when compared with the least deprived.

The vast majority of pharmacies are not directly commissioned or contracted by the NHS, instead contractors apply to gain entry to the NHS pharmaceutical list and if an application is approved, a pharmacy can start providing NHS services.

The assessments of the adequacy of provision, the location, and the number of pharmacies required in a certain area are the statutory responsibility of local authorities health and wellbeing boards. Local authorities are required to publish a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years. Integrated care boards (ICBs) give regard to the PNAs when reviewing applications from potential contractors.

Contractors can apply to open a new pharmacy to meet any current or future need identified in the PNA, but also to offer benefits to patients that were not foreseen by the PNA. If there is a need for a new local pharmacy to open and no contractors apply to open a pharmacy and fill the gap, ICBs can directly commission a new pharmacy to open outside of the market entry processes and can fund the contract from the ICB’s budgets.

Contractors can already seek an ICB’s permission to either consolidate different premises onto one site or to relocate their pharmacy premises to a different address. The approval of such requests depends on the impact it is likely to cause for patients and commissioners.
wrans/answers2025-11-05 conversation_247
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-05 conversation_247

Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department measures the (a) accessibility of GPs and (b) GPs' workload. \p Stephen Kinnock: The General Practice Patient Survey (GPPS) measures patient satisfaction and ease of access to general practice (GP) services. The Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency sits within the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board, where 69% of respondents to the 2025 GPPS reported a good experience of contacting their GP and 74% of respondents reported a good overall experience with their practice.

It is challenging to accurately estimate GPs’ workload as much of their work is not reflected in published data, and in addition to delivering appointments, GPs will manage referrals, complete paperwork, and, in the case of GP partners, manage the practice itself.

We know that high workloads can be a key driver for GPs reducing their contracted hours or leaving the profession altogether, impacting access to GPs. That’s why we are tackling morale through drivers such as growing the workforce and reducing bureaucracy through our Red Tape Challenge. Expanding capacity in GPs will improve access for patients, as well as alleviating high workloads, by making more appointments available.