theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_34
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_34

Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of levels of public understanding of winter illness (a) transmission and (b) prevention; and if he will consider a public information campaign on infection prevention, in addition to vaccination programmes. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Public Perceptions Tracker provides insight into public attitudes and behaviours in relation to priority public health issues. It is a quarterly online survey, with a sample of approximately 1,000 participants per wave. The sample is representative of the following groups in England: gender identity; age; region; and social grade; interlocked with ethnicity.

In addition to vaccine campaigns, the UKHSA runs annual no-cost public information campaigns each winter, focused on promoting infection prevention behaviours. The campaign includes social media content, downloadable digital assets, and stakeholder engagement.

The UKHSA produces 'Virus Watch' which includes 60-second expert videos, explanatory infographics, and data summaries. This aims to help people understand which viruses are circulating and take the right actions to protect their health and prevent spread.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_35
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_35

Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on waiting times for hysteroscopies with an anaesthetist in North Shropshire. \p Karin Smyth: No recent formal assessment has been made of the adequacy of the availability of hysteroscopy procedures under anaesthetic in North Shropshire and in England.

The information held by NHS England on hysteroscopy waiting times at the NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board does not readily allow hysteroscopy procedures with an anaesthetist to be separately identified.

It is unacceptable that some women have such poor experiences of hysteroscopies. Women must be given the opportunity to speak to the doctor or nurse before having the procedure about what to expect, and to discuss pain relief options, including the option of local or general anaesthetic. Women can also discuss the option of alternative treatment, such as pelvic ultrasound.

For patients in North Shropshire, the gynaecological unit within the Shropshire Women and Children’s Centre at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford provides women with access to hysteroscopy services.

It is our aim to treat all women as individuals, acknowledge they have unique expectations and unique physical, psychological, emotional, and cultural needs. The Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust is committed to providing a quality service for women that provides care with courtesy, kindness, and warmth for women and their families.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_36
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_36

Martin Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to support newborn screening laboratories to commence screening for spinal muscular atrophy once an interim decision is published. \p Ashley Dalton: On all aspects of population and targeted screening, Ministers are advised by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). A recommendation by the UK NSC on newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is expected following the conclusion of an in-service evaluation (ISE), which is needed to answer several outstanding questions related to the implementation of a screening programme for SMA.

The UK NSC recommended an ISE of newborn blood spot screening for SMA in National Health Services in 2023. Since then, SMA Newborn Screening ISE Partnership Board was set up to plan and develop work to shape the ISE. This includes planning for newborn laboratories to be able to screen blood spot samples for SMA.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Health Technology Assessment Programme is running a tender process to appoint researchers for the ISE which is a necessary step before the ISE can be rolled out.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_37
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_37

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October to Question 81534 on Hinchingbrooke Hospital: Medical Records, what the outcome was of the review of the strategic outline case for the new hospital as part of the New Hospitals Programme. \p Karin Smyth: The Strategic Outline Case for the New Hospital Programme scheme at Hinchingbrooke Hospital was approved by the Department’s Joint Investment Committee on 22 October 2025 and has since been approved by ministers.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_38
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_38

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to protect vulnerable individuals from Covid during winter months in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious illness, resulting in hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19.

The JCVI has advised that population immunity to COVID-19 has been increasing due to a combination of naturally acquired immunity following recovery from infection and vaccine-derived immunity. COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for most people, though it can still be unpleasant, with rates of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 having reduced significantly since COVID-19 first emerged.

The focus of the JCVI advised programme has therefore moved towards targeted vaccination of the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality. These are the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed.

The Government has accepted the JCVI’s advice for autumn 2025 and in line with the advice, a COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to the following groups in autumn 2025:

The campaign in England began on 1 October 2025 and runs until 31 January 2026. General practitioners have been in direct communication with eligible people to encourage them to book their vaccinations, complemented by millions of targeted emails, texts, and letters sent nationally by the NHS. Appointments including walk-in sessions are available in local pharmacies, general practices, and community clinic drop-in centres across the country.

All those individuals who are eligible are encouraged to take up the offer of vaccination.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_39
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_39

Dr Ben Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to correspondence dated (a) 16th July 2025, (b) 8 September 2025 and (c) 8 October 2025 from the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge, on final approval for the rebuild of Weybridge Health Centre. \p Stephen Kinnock: I responded to the Hon. Member’s correspondence on 13 November 2025.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_40
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_40

Juliet Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what step his Department will take to ensure people who need COVID boosters receive them. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious illness, resulting in hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19.

The JCVI has advised that population immunity to COVID-19 has been increasing due to a combination of naturally acquired immunity following recovery from infection and vaccine-derived immunity. COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for most people, though it can still be unpleasant, with rates of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 having reduced significantly since COVID-19 first emerged.

The focus of the JCVI advised programme has therefore moved towards targeted vaccination of the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality. These are the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed. The JCVI’s advice for autumn 2025 is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-in-2025-and-spring-2026-jcvi-advice/jcvi-statement-on-covid-19-vaccination-in-2025-and-spring-2026

The Government has accepted the JCVI’s advice for autumn 2025 and in line with the advice, a COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to the following groups:

The campaign in England began on 1 October 2025 and runs until 31 January 2026. General practitioners have been in direct communication with eligible people to encourage them to book their vaccinations, complemented by millions of targeted emails, texts, and letters sent nationally by the National Health Service. Appointments, including walk-in sessions, are available in local pharmacies, general practices, and community clinic drop-in centres across the country.

As for all vaccines, the JCVI keeps the evidence under regular review.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_41
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_41

Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review the adequacy of the £30,000 grant cap for the Disabled Facilities Grant in England. \p Stephen Kinnock: In England, the Government continues to fund the locally administered Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) which helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes.

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

We continue to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. Recently, we carried out a review of the upper limit for the DFG. We are currently considering the findings.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_42
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_42

Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the appropriate amount of (a) iron and (b) vitamins is in food marketed for children under 36 months. \p Ashley Dalton: Children’s early years provide an important foundation for their future health and strongly influence many aspects of wellbeing in later life.

The Department has regulations in place that set nutritional, compositional, and labelling standards for commercial baby food for children from six to 36 months. These include maximum levels of iron, and minimum and maximum levels of some vitamins that can be added to commercial baby food. We continue to keep these regulations under review to ensure that the composition of infant food and drinks reflect the latest scientific advice and dietary guidelines. It is the responsibility of individual businesses to ensure they comply with the law and the responsibility of local authorities to enforce the law.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_43
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_43

Darren Paffey:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 82861 on Prescriptions: Fees and Charges, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) amending the process for applying for a maternity exemption certificate and (b) extending the backdating period for successful applications. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: A healthcare professional, such as a midwife, practice nurse, health visitor or general practitioner, can complete the maternity exemption (MATEX) application as soon as they have confirmed the pregnancy, birth, or stillbirth. This confirms the individual is eligible for a MATEX certificate and acts as a mechanism of transferring evidence of eligibility from the patient’s individual health records to national systems and systems used by community pharmacies.

The National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Regulations 2015 allow for a MATEX certificate to be backdated one month before the date on which the application is received by the NHS Business Services Authority, the organisation which processes applications. The one-month backdating of certificates is a longstanding provision to allow for the administration time taken to receive, process and post a paper MATEX certificate to the patient, and also applies to digital certificates. The regulations do not allow a MATEX certificate to be backdated further and there are no current plans to amend this.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_44
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_44

Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is planning to introduce targeted measures to tackle the specific challenges for patients with less survivable cancers through the National Cancer Plan. \p Ashley Dalton: Reducing the number of lives lost to cancer is a key aim of the National Cancer Plan, which will be published in the new year. The plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for patients with cancer, including less survivable cancers, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.

The Department has been working closely with members of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce as part of the development of the plan to understand the specific challenges and to identify how to improve diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for less survivable cancers, which includes lung, pancreatic, liver, brain, oesophageal, and stomach cancer.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_45
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_45

Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking for suicide prevention training for (a) police officers, (b) paramedics, (c) firefighters and (d) other emergency responders. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Significant work is underway to strengthen the quality and consistency of training across the system.

NHS England published ‘Staying safe from suicide: Best practice guidance for safety assessment, formulation and management’ to support the Government’s work to reduce suicide and improve mental health services. The guidance requires all mental health practitioners to align their practice to the latest evidence in suicide prevention, and is available at the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/publication/staying-safe-from-suicide.

The NHS England Medium Term Planning Framework states that in 2026/27, all integrated care boards must ensure mental health practitioners across all providers undertake training and deliver care in line with the ‘Staying safe from suicide’ guidance.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_46
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_46

Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with deaf people on their experience of (a) the healthcare system and (b) social care. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Both my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and I meet regularly with external sector partners on a variety of issues, including those who represent the deaf community.

In May 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend attended a constituency event marking Deaf Awareness Week, which was held by the Empowering Deaf Society. At the event, my Rt Hon. Friend heard from deaf people about the challenges faced by their community. Further information on the event is available at the following link:

https://liamodell.com/2025/05/07/wes-streeting-health-secretary-social-care-deaf-bsl-british-sign-language-parliament-empowering-deaf-society-stephen-timms-disabled-people-deaf-awareness-week/
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_47
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_47

Margaret Mullane:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce elective care waiting times (a) in general and (b) for joint replacement surgery. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to putting patients first and tackling waiting lists as part of our Health Mission. We exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million appointments, tests, and operations in our first year of Government, delivering 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and June 2025. This marks a vital first step to delivering on our commitment to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029.

The Department is taking a range of steps to reduce waiting times for surgery, including joint replacement surgery. There are currently 123 surgical hubs operational across England, and we are committed to expanding the number of hubs over the next three years to increase surgical capacity and deliver faster access to common procedures. Surgical hubs have been shown to deliver approximately 20% increased productivity in the hubs compared to trusts without a dedicated elective hub on site.

The Getting it Right First time (GIRFT) programme published detailed guidance for hip and knee replacements in July 2023 and has been supporting trusts through a multidisciplinary team made up of anaesthetic, surgical, and allied health professional colleagues. Additionally, GIRFT is leading a community musculoskeletal programme, supporting improvements in the early stages of the pathway, to ensure that only those patients who require surgery are referred into secondary care, and that their condition is optimised for surgery as far as possible at the point of referral. Further information on the GIRFT programme is available at the following link:

https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_48
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_48

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the prevalence of corridor care in hospitals in Lancashire. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so patients can be treated with dignity.  We are therefore doing everything we can as fast as we can to consign the delivery of care in temporary escalation spaces to the history books.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out the steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care for the first time.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_49
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_49

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support NHS staff working in Newton Abbot constituency. \p Karin Smyth: The health and wellbeing of all National Health Service staff is a top priority. Local employers across the NHS have in place arrangements for supporting staff including occupational health provision, employee support programmes, and a focus on healthy working environments. At a national level, NHS staff have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support alongside the Practitioner Health service for more complex mental health and wellbeing support, including trauma and addiction.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out Staff Treatment hubs to ensure all staff have access to high quality occupational health support, including for mental health. To further support this ambition, we will work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals, support to work healthily and flexibly, and tackling violence, racism and sexual harassment in the workplace.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_50
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_50

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Northern Ireland on the retention of district nurses. \p Karin Smyth: Officials from the Department regularly meet with their counterparts in the devolved administrations to discuss and update on the development of the 10-Year Health Plan in England.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.

NHS England is already leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_51
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_51

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the average cost of testing an adult for HIV. \p Ashley Dalton: Adult HIV testing is commissioned in a range of different circumstances and by different providers, therefore the cost varies depending on these factors. No estimate has been made of the average cost of testing an adult for HIV across all settings.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_52
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_52

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the scope is of Exercise PEGASUS. \p Ashley Dalton: Exercise PEGASUS is a pandemic preparedness exercise, based on a novel enterovirus, led by the Department, with the UK Health Security Agency. It has been the largest simulation of a pandemic in the history of the United Kingdom and has involved all Government departments, the devolved administrations, local resilience forums, and other key stakeholders. Live participation in the exercise took place between September and November 2025, simulating the lifecycle of a pandemic, including emergence, containment, and mitigation, and sought to test decision-making processes at every level. A fourth phase, for recovery, is planned to be exercised via a ‘table-top’ in 2026.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_53
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_53

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure an adequate number of NHS dentists are recruited in (a) Slough and (b) Berkshire. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry, but it will take time and there are no quick fixes. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

Integrated care boards (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 recently held a public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and improve the quality of, NHS dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. We will publish a response shortly.

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.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_54
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_54

Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of (a) the quality of commissioning of social care services by local authorities and (b) the development of high-quality markets of service providers in local areas; and what steps he is taking to ensure factors other than volume and price are used by local authorities when commissioning social care services. \p Stephen Kinnock: Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care.

In delivering their duties, local authorities should work closely with local providers to promote best practice and achieve a sustainable balance of quality, effectiveness, and value for money.

To ensure high standards of care, local authorities are assessed by the Care Quality Commission in how well they are delivering these commissioning and market shaping duties. Local authority assessment reports are published by the Care Quality Commission at the following link:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_55
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_55

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to allocate capital to bring parents accommodation for neonatal units up to national standard. \p Karin Smyth: We recognise that delivering high quality National Health Services requires safe, sustainable, and effective infrastructure.

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 better care for mothers and their newborns. The funded works will deliver 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 allocation funding to maternity and neonatal services where this is a local priority.

In addition, our 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy set out 10 year maintenance budgets for the public estate, confirming £6 billion per year for maintenance and repair of the NHS estate up to 2034/35.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_56
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_56

Josh Babarinde:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the department has to improve retention of level 3 staff within the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.

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

NHS England is already leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.

Regarding pay, the Government remitted the Pay Review Bodies on 22 July and published its written evidence on 30 October, with the target of getting uplifts into the pockets of health workers early next year.

Earlier this year, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care was also able to accept the vast majority of recommendations that were produced from the non-pay work from the 2023 Agenda for Change deal. This covers work on a variety of issues including job evaluation and tackling violence and aggression against staff. NHS organisations are now in the process of implementing these recommendations.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_57
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_57

Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of international cooperation in healthcare. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: In our ever more interconnected world, international cooperation is fundamental to driving medical breakthroughs and saving lives. Health challenges such as pandemics, antimicrobial resistance and climate-related impacts do not respect borders. By sharing knowledge, resources, and expertise, international cooperation can overcome limitations faced by individual nations and achieve breakthroughs that benefit patients all over the world, including the United Kingdom.

The Government is committed to collaborating with our international partners and continues to engage with global health institutions, including the World Health Organization. These efforts help build resilient health systems worldwide, reduce preventable deaths and safeguard against shared threats, while supporting UK prosperity through trade and investment in health and life sciences.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_58
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_58

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) operations and (b) appointments that will be cancelled if resident doctors strike from 14 to 19 November 2025. \p Karin Smyth: No formal assessment has been made of any industrial action by resident doctors from 14 to 19 November 2025.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_59
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_59

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the independent maternity and neonatal investigation to publish its final recommendations. \p Karin Smyth: The independent maternity and neonatal investigation will produce an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025. The investigation will publish its final report and recommendations in Spring 2026.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_60
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_60

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: NHS England has no records of any staff who have long term health conditions and are considered disabled under the Equality Act 2010 having raised concerns about not having a suitable substantive role in the past 12 months.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_61
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_61

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: NHS England has no records of any staff raising complaints about not having a suitable role after having raised concerns through formal and informal processes.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_62
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_62

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of 28 October 2025 on World Stroke Day, what the maximum (a) travelling time and (b) distance a thrombectomy service will be from a person's home. \p Karin Smyth: The National Stroke Service Model and the National Service Model for an Integrated Community Stroke Service set out an evidenced based pathway for joined-up stroke care throughout the patient journey. The service model sets out that all acute stroke patients should gain rapid access to a stroke unit within four hours and receive an early multidisciplinary assessment.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_63
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_63

Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support NHS trusts to increase same-day elective procedure capability. \p Karin Smyth: Same-day elective procedures, or day surgeries, allow patients to be treated and discharged on the same day, helping to reduce waiting times, minimising cancellations due to bed pressures, and supporting patients to recover more quickly, in the comfort of their own home.

To expand same-day capability, we are investing in dedicated elective surgical hubs focused on high-volume, low-complexity procedures. These hubs improve productivity and support more patients to return home the same day, in line with the Right Procedure, Right Place principles.

There are currently 124 operational hubs in England, 23 of which have opened since the Government took office. Over the next three years, we are committed to increasing the number of hubs to boost surgical capacity and deliver faster access to common procedures.

NHS England also continues to run the Getting It Right First Time programme, as part of which trusts are supported to maximise hub productivity and increase the proportion of inpatient procedures completed as day surgeries.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_64
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_64

Stuart Andrew:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of (a) EU-derived clinical hour requirements for nurse education and (b) the regulatory framework for nurse education (i) in general and (ii) compared with (A) Australia and (B) other international models. \p Karin Smyth: To be able to legally work as a nurse in the United Kingdom, individuals must be fully registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). The NMC sets the standards that must be met by domestic and international nurses and midwives wishing to be added to the UK register. The NMC sets these standards to ensure registrants are safe to practise and patients receive a high standard of care.

The NMC is updating its pre-registration education programme standards to allow more students to join its register with the skills for safe and effective care. In January 2025, the NMC’s Council approved five key areas for its pre-registration practice learning review. Consultations on changes will take place in early 2026, with new standards effective by September 2026.

In 2023, legislative changes made by the Department to the NMC’s regulatory framework provided the regulator with full flexibility to recognise qualifications for international applicants from around the world. Our regulatory reform programme will further modernise the regulatory frameworks for all the UK healthcare professional regulators, starting with the General Medical Council. This will guide reforms for other healthcare regulators, including the NMC, with plans for implementation within this Parliament.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_65
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_65

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to implement the Getting It Right First Time recommendations on improving the (a) access to and (b) quality of dermatology care. \p Karin Smyth: As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure that by March 2029 we return to the standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. The Government is clear that reforming elective care must be done equitably and inclusively for all adults, children, and young people, and across all services, including dermatology.

One of the ways we are improving access to services, including dermatology, is through NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme, which runs a Further Faster programme to deliver rapid clinical transformation with the aim of reducing 52-week waits. It brings together hospital trust clinicians and operational teams to transform patient pathways, helping to reduce waiting lists despite the increase in dermatology demand. It focuses on increasing the use of Advice and Guidance and technology such as teledermatology alongside reducing non-attendance in clinics and unnecessary follow-up appointments.

GIRFT has developed a number of practices to ensure high quality care, such as the standardised best practice pathways for dermatological conditions, to ensure that patients have the shortest route to see the right person the first time. GIRFT provides resources so general practitioners can manage patients in community care without needing to wait for hospital referral, and offers direct, targeted support, working with trusts and integrated care boards who have approached GIRFT for support. Further information on the standardised best practice pathways for dermatological conditions is available at the following link:

https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/medical_specialties/dermatology/#dermatology
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_66
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_66

Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2025 to Question 75037 on NHS: Workplace Pensions, why the 9.4% pension contribution for NHS staff is made by NHS England. \p Karin Smyth: Currently, National Health Service employees who are a member of the NHS pension scheme pay between 5.2% and 12.5% of earnings as an employee contribution. In addition, the current employer's contribution rate is 23.78%. As set out in the NHS Pension Scheme Consultancy, the Government Actuary's Department increased the employer contribution rate by 6.3% in 2019, from 14.38%, and this increased further by 3.1% from 2024 as a result of the 2016 and 2020 actuarial valuations. To alleviate cost pressures on employers and efficiently implement the increases, NHS England transacts the 9.4% increase in employer pensions contribution. This means whilst the full 23.78% rate is paid, 14.38% continues to be paid by employers and 9.4% by NHS England, which is supported by an increase in the NHS England Mandate. This arrangement will be reviewed with each subsequent revaluation. Further information on the NHS Pension Scheme Consultancy is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ca226aded915d0c486abb23/nhs-pension-scheme-consultation-response.pdf
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_67
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_67

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of current capital funding budget will be allocated towards the expansion of the surgical hub programme. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is increasing the Department’s capital budgets to over £14.6 billion by the end of the Spending Review period for 2029/30, to invest into the National Health Service and wider health infrastructure, including elective care. This will deliver the largest ever health capital budget, representing a more than 20% real terms increase by the end of the Spending Review period.

We are investing £6 billion of capital over five years for diagnostic, elective, and urgent and emergency capacity in the NHS. This includes £1.65 billion in 2025/26 for investments aimed at improving NHS secondary and emergency care performance against constitutional standards, £330 million of which has been indicatively allocated for elective care. This funding includes the expansion or creation of surgical or elective hubs.

Regional indicative capital allocations for 2026/27 to 2029/30, including elective care, will be published imminently following publication of the NHS capital planning guidance for 2026/27 to 2029/30. These regional allocations will form the basis for integrated care board and provider planning.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_68
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_68

Sarah Green:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the 10 year Workforce Plan will help tackle regional variations in access to specialist care for people with (a) long-term and (b) complex conditions. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which 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. Its development will include consideration of regional variations in access to specialist care.

We are committed to working with partners to ensure the plan meets its aims and will engage independent experts to make sure the plan is ambitious, forward looking, and evidence based.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_69
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_69

Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many procurement contracts exceeding £5 million have been issued by his Department in the last five years. \p Karin Smyth: Since 1 January 2021, 118 contracts with a value of £5 million or more have been awarded by the Department.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_70
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_70

Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England is currently in negotiation with Servier regarding the price of Vorasidenib. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: This topic has not yet been referred to NHS England for a commercial negotiation by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). This is because the NICE appraisal process has not yet concluded and the preferred assumptions of the independent NICE committee on the comparative benefits and health and care related costs of vorasidenib following consultation have not yet been confirmed.

NHS England has signalled a willingness to engage in discussions with Servier pending further information following the second NICE appraisal committee meeting scheduled for 20 November, which will help to determine what, if any, approach to commercial arrangements, or managed access arrangements may be appropriate for this topic.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_71
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_71

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 81534 on Hinchingbrooke Hospital: Medical Records, what steps he has taken to provide funding to ensure Hinchingbrooke Hospital can provide its core capabilities in their digital systems. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Hinchingbrooke Hospital is part of the North West Anglia Foundation Trust (NWAFT). All National Health Service trusts complete an annual self-assessment of their digital maturity against the seven dimensions of the What Good Looks Like framework. The results of this assessment have not yet been released. Further information is available on the What Good Looks Like framework at the following link:

https://transform.england.nhs.uk/digitise-connect-transform/what-good-looks-like/what-good-looks-like-publication/

NHS England is supporting NWAFT to produce a robust and affordable Outline Business Case to procure an Electronic Patient Record that meets the core capabilities set out by the NHS England Frontline Digitisation programme. This includes providing procurement support, subject matter expertise, and funding, including both capital and revenue. NHS England has provided £9.7 million to support NWAFT with these activities to date.
wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_72
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_72

Tonia Antoniazzi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the safety of talc used in medical products. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the Government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work and are acceptably safe.

Additives in medicines, termed excipients, are required to comply with the standards laid down in pharmacopeial monographs and can only be included in medicinal products at levels that are considered to be safe.

The MHRA is aware of general concerns in relation to the presence of asbestos in talcum powder, however, pharmaceutical grade talc has strict controls on the presence of asbestos. The British Pharmacopeia monograph for Purified Talc states that “Talc derived from deposits that are known to contain associated asbestos is not suitable for pharmaceutical use”. Furthermore, testing is required to confirm the absence of asbestos.