Written questions by Maguire.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of embedding routine and cross-system commissioning and provision of post-pregnancy contraception in post-partum care.

No assessment has been made. The renewed Women’s Health Strategy will set out how the Government will take the next steps to improve women's healthcare as part of the 10-Year Health Plan and create a system that listens to women. Steps to improve contraception access are being fully considered as part of the renewal.

What assessment his Department has made of making patient records owned by the patient.

Health records are not owned by patients, as the providers of care who create and maintain the records are the data controllers, although all patients have the right to access their records under the Data Protection Act 2018. Patients also have the legal right to ask for factual inaccuracies to be amended.The general practice (GP) record can be viewed online on the NHS App, or by logging onto the National Health Service website. Individuals can alternatively contact their practice to view their record. To view a hospital record, individuals can ask the trust where they are a patient.As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we are developing a single patient record which will give patients greater control over their records, and act as a patient passport to seamless care. It will provide a single, secure, and authoritative account of their data by bringing together all of a patient’s medical information from different records in one place, for example GP and hospital data, and patients will be able to view the record securely on the NHS App and add their own data, for example from a wearable device.

What the unit cost per day is for NHS (a) elective, (b) non-elective, (c) high dependency and (d) standard ward beds.

The following table shows the bed day cost for elective and non-elective admissions, for 2024/25:Financial yearQuestionPoint of delivery descriptionBed day cost2024/25ElectiveElective Inpatient£1,1982024/25Non electiveNon Elective Long Stay£7912024/25Non electiveNon Elective Short Stay£806Source: National Cost Collection Patient Level Cost dataset for admitted patient care. Point of delivery, cost and length of stay data submitted to the dataset by National Health Service providers in the latest financial year, 2024/25.NHS England does not hold the data to calculate the bed day cost for high dependency and standard ward beds.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the Adult Oral Health survey published on 9 December 2025.

The Adult Oral Health Survey 2023 provides the first picture of adult oral health in England for more than a decade. It provides further evidence of the need for dental contract reform.We are taking forward significant changes to the National Health Service dental contract. The reforms will prioritise patients with urgent dental needs and those requiring complex treatments, and will come in from April 2026. We are committed to fundamental reform of the NHS dental contract by the end of this Parliament, with a focus on improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly.The Government is also focussed on prevention of poor dental health through our supervised toothbrushing programme to reach up to 600,000 children in the 20% most deprived areas of England, and by expanding community water fluoridation to the North East of England. This intervention will reach an additional 1.6 million people and will reduce tooth decay and inequalities in dental health, particularly in children and vulnerable adults.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure annual statutory reviews for people in care are undertaken.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities must keep care and support plans under review, respond to reasonable requests for review, and update plans when circumstances change, involving the individual drawing on care and support, and their carer, if applicable, throughout.Local authorities should establish systems that allow the proportionate monitoring of both care and support plans to ensure that needs are continuing to be met. In the absence of any request of a review, or any indication that circumstances may have changed, the local authority should conduct a periodic review of the plan. It is the expectation that local authorities should conduct a review of the plan no later than every 12 months after the plan is first agreed or last reviewed.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how local authorities in England are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including how local authorities assess the needs of individuals who draw on care and support. The assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed. If the CQC identifies that a local authority has failed or is failing to discharge its duties under the Care Act to an acceptable standard, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has powers to intervene. Reports are made available on the CQC’s website, at the following link:www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing a mandatory care marker for care workers on their GP record.

The Department has not undertaken a formal assessment of introducing a mandatory care marker for those employed as care workers on general practice records. Any request for new coding would need to consider the purpose and proportionality of the introduction for employed care staff, and the impact on general practice.There are existing SNOMED, the structured clinical vocabulary for use in an electronic health record, and clinical term codes which can be used to indicate a person’s unpaid caring role on their health record.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of adults with tooth decay.

The Government is proceeding with the reforms to the National Health Service dental contract. These will be introduced from April 2026 so that patients with gum disease or tooth decay will be better able to get long-term treatment through new clinical treatment pathways. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reformsWe are also committed to fundamental reform of the NHS dental contract by the end of this Parliament, with a focus on improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly.Sugar consumption is the main cause of tooth decay. We are taking measures to reduce sugar consumption, which will have a positive effect on improving children’s oral health. Following the Strengthening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) consultation, we will reduce the current lower threshold at which the SDIL applies from five grams of total sugar per 100 millilitres to 4.5 grams of total sugar per 100 millilitres and will remove the current exemption for milk-based drinks.We are expanding community water fluoridation to the North East of England. This intervention is expected to reach an additional 1.6 million people and will reduce tooth decay and inequalities in dental health.We have published guidance on how dental health professionals can improve the oral and general health of their patients, including preventative interventions. This can be viewed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-preventionGuidance for local service commissioners on better oral health of vulnerable older people is also available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commissioning-better-oral-health-for-vulnerable-older-people

What the budget for NHS dentistry is for 2026.

The 2026/27 dental ringfenced budget for NHS dentistry is £4.2 billion. For 2026/27, the budget for dental checks in Special Educational Settings (SES) is being included within the dental ringfenced budget. This was previously included within the wider Pharmacy, Ophthalmic, Dental (POD) budget but was not ringfenced with other dental spend.NHS England has now published the Medium-Term Planning Framework for delivering change together 2026/27 to 2028/29, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/medium-term-planning-framework-delivering-change-together-2026-27-to-2028-29/In addition, information on allocations for 2026/27 to 2027/28 is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/allocation-of-resources-2026-27-to-2027-28/NHS organisations are now in the process of developing their operational plans that will detail how they will meet the standards set out in the Medium-Term Planning Framework.A separate schedule has been issued setting out the 2026/27 to 2028/29 Integrated Care Board (ICB) POD allocations. The utilisation of ICB POD allocations is subject to a ringfence on budgets for dental services. More information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/icb-other-primary-care-allocations-2026-27-to-2028-29-v2.pdf

What assessment has been made of the merits of providing training to mental health teams to support children with lifelong speech and language difficulties.

No such specific assessment has been made. The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the Department for Education and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.In addition to the undergraduate degree route, speech and language therapists can now also train via a degree apprenticeship. This route is going into its fourth year of delivery and offers an alternative pathway to the traditional degree route into a successful career as a speech and language therapist.In partnership with NHS England, the Department for Education has extended the Early Language and Support for Every Child programme, trialling new ways of working to better identify and support children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs in early years settings and primary schools.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a national memorial to commemorate the lives of people buried in former psychiatric hospital cemeteries, including Horton Cemetery.

No such assessments have been made.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the dereliction of former asylum cemeteries on stigma surrounding mental ill health.

No such assessments have been made.

How many and what proportion of people admitted to hospital in (a) England and (b) Surrey were aged between (i) 60 and 70, (ii) 70 and 80, (iii) 80 and 90 and (iv) 90 and 100 in 2024.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 30 October 2025 to Question 85046.

What steps his Department is taking to support the NHS to manage the number of patients requiring hospital care for flu.

We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the National Health Service over the winter months, providing additional support as needed.The Department is continuing to take key steps to ensure the health service is prepared throughout the colder months. This includes taking actions to try and reduce demand pressure on accident and emergency, increasing vaccination rates, and offering health checks to the most vulnerable, as well as stress-testing integrated care boards and trust winter plans to ensure they are able to meet demand and ensure patient flow.Flu is a recurring pressure that the NHS faces every winter. There is particular risk of severe illness for older people, the very young, pregnant, and those with certain underlying health conditions. The flu vaccine remains the best form of defense against influenza, particularly for the most vulnerable, and continues to be highly effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalisation.

Whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy, Security and Net Zero on the potential impact of changes to funding for the Energy Company Obligation scheme in March 2026 on cold-related health issues.

Ministers and officials from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero engage regularly on policy issues of interest to both departments. We will continue working together to ensure that cold-related health impacts are considered when implementing the Fuel Poverty Strategy for England and the Warm Homes Plan, and that more health-vulnerable households get the help they need to improve their homes.

How many patients were admitted to A&E in England and seen within a) four hours and b) 12 hours after 5pm in the (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23, (c) 2023-24 and (d) 2024-25 financial years.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers provided on 11 November to Questions 87614 and 87615. Otherwise, we do not hold data at this level of granularity.

How many patients were admitted to A&E in England and seen within a) four hours and b) 12 hours at the weekend in the (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23, (c) 2023-24 and (d) 2024-25 financial years.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers provided on 11 November to Questions 87614 and 87615. Otherwise, we do not hold data at this level of granularity.

What data his Department holds on the number of people who were treated following female genital mutilation in the (a) 2022–23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.

There are a range of services available to support women affected by female genital mutilation (FGM) including treatment, counselling, and further referrals to urology and gynaecology, depending on clinical need.Data published in the FGM Enhanced Dataset records the number of FGM-related attendances in National Health Service settings. This data is published by NHS England and shows health attendances by patients where FGM was identified or a procedure for FGM was undertaken. The FGM data is collected by NHS healthcare providers in England, including acute hospitals, mental health services, and general practices. The following table shows the number of individual women and girls who had an attendance where FGM was identified, and the number of FGM related attendances for 2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25:PeriodNumber of individual women and girls who had an attendance where FGM was identifiedNumber of FGM related attendancesApril 2022 to March 20236,00012,660April 2023 to March 20246,69514,395April 2024 to March 20256,98016,300Source: Female Genital Mutilation, Annual Report - April 2024 to March 2025, published by NHS England, and available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/female-genital-mutilation/april-2024-to-march-2025 Notes:individuals refers to all patients in the reporting period where FGM was identified or a procedure for FGM was undertaken. Each patient is only counted once; andtotal attendances refers to all attendances in the reporting period where FGM was identified or a procedure for FGM was undertaken. Women and girls may have one or more attendances in the reporting period. This category includes both newly recorded and previously identified women and girls.

What steps his Department is taking to increase research funding for bladder cancer.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).Between the 2020/21 and 2024/25 financial years, the NIHR committed £6 million for new research and programmes into bladder cancer research projects. An example of this investment includes a £2.9 million award for ‘Combination chemotherapy versus Bacillus Calmette-Guérin for high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer a phase III multi-centre randomised controlled trial (COBRA)’. This study is researching whether gemcitabine and docetaxel delivered through intravesical therapy are typically recommended to patients who do not respond well to bacillus Calmette-Guerin treatment, a more common type of intravesical therapy that uses immunotherapy drugs to disrupt the processes that fuel bladder cancer growth.The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including bladder cancer. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to the public and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of survival rates for bladder cancer.

Improving cancer outcomes, including for bladder cancer, is a priority for the Government. The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will set out further actions to improve earlier diagnosis, expand access to the latest treatments and technologies, and improve survival rates across England.National cancer registry data shows a small but sustained decline in bladder cancer survival rates over recent years. One-year survival fell from approximately 72% to 69.6%, and five-year survival from 51.5% to 47.2% between 2007 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020.To improve treatment times, we have invested £70 million of 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.In addition, non-specific symptom pathways have been introduced to speed up diagnosis for patients whose symptoms may indicate cancer but which do not align clearly with a specific tumour type. This helps ensure that more patients are referred, investigated, and diagnosed earlier, including cases of bladder cancer that present with broader or less specific symptoms.The NHS Cancer Programme has commissioned 10 national clinical audits covering breast, ovarian, pancreatic, lung, prostate, oesophago-gastric, bowel, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and kidney cancers. These were selected as auditing was expected to have the greatest impact on reducing unwarranted variation in care. For this reason, there are currently no plans to undertake a national clinical audit for bladder cancer, though bladder cancer outcomes continue to be monitored through existing national cancer datasets.

What steps his Department is taking to increase survival rates for bladder cancer.

Improving cancer outcomes, including for bladder cancer, is a priority for the Government. The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will set out further actions to improve earlier diagnosis, expand access to the latest treatments and technologies, and improve survival rates across England.National cancer registry data shows a small but sustained decline in bladder cancer survival rates over recent years. One-year survival fell from approximately 72% to 69.6%, and five-year survival from 51.5% to 47.2% between 2007 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020.To improve treatment times, we have invested £70 million of 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.In addition, non-specific symptom pathways have been introduced to speed up diagnosis for patients whose symptoms may indicate cancer but which do not align clearly with a specific tumour type. This helps ensure that more patients are referred, investigated, and diagnosed earlier, including cases of bladder cancer that present with broader or less specific symptoms.The NHS Cancer Programme has commissioned 10 national clinical audits covering breast, ovarian, pancreatic, lung, prostate, oesophago-gastric, bowel, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and kidney cancers. These were selected as auditing was expected to have the greatest impact on reducing unwarranted variation in care. For this reason, there are currently no plans to undertake a national clinical audit for bladder cancer, though bladder cancer outcomes continue to be monitored through existing national cancer datasets.