Written questions by McMurdock.

What recent steps his Department have taken to ensure that renal treatment service providers (a) train, support and supervise all staff to identify patients’ psychosocial needs, (b) work in psychologically‑informed ways, and (c) provide low‑level support with rapid onward referral where more intensive intervention is required.

The Government has already taken significant steps to stabilise and improve mental health services within the National Health Service but there is much more to do. NHS Talking Therapies - Long Term Conditions services have been established across the country to support integrated pathways between Talking Therapies services and physical health pathways for people with long term conditions, including kidney disease.As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we are expanding NHS Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029, with improved effectiveness and quality of services.Mental health and psychosocial support for people living with kidney disease is a key priority within NHS England’s programme to improve renal care. The Renal Service Transformation Programme (RSTP), published in 2023, provides a national framework for raising standards across the renal pathway, including a strengthened focus on supporting the emotional and psychological needs of patients. Renal clinical networks are working with a stakeholders, i.e. professional societies and renal charities, to support implementation of the RSTP. NHS England is revising the specialised renal service specification to ensure alignment with the RSTP and to support commissioning across the full renal pathway. Published renal service specifications already set expectations for providers to address the psychosocial needs of people with kidney disease. The revised specification reinforces this requirement and strengthens the overall direction for services to deliver holistic, person-centred care that recognises the importance of psychosocial support throughout the renal journey.

Whether he has met with Kidney Research UK campaigners to discuss potential improvements for the treatment of kidney disease.

The Department and NHS England regularly engage with Kidney Research UK and other experts to consider potential improvements around prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney disease.

What recent steps his Department have taken to help encourage earlier diagnosis of kidney disease.

NHS England has established a renal Clinical Reference Group to deliver change across the NHS to accelerate improvements in diagnosis and treatment for people living with kidney disease. NHS England’s regional renal clinical networks, of which there are eight commissioned across England, have established workstreams. These workstreams work with commissioned providers to develop transformation programmes, to reduce the number of patients progressing through the stages of chronic kidney disease, supporting improved patient outcomes.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of mental health support available for people with kidney disease.

The Government has already taken significant steps to stabilise and improve mental health services within the National Health Service but there is much more to do. NHS Talking Therapies - Long Term Conditions services have been established across the country to support integrated pathways between Talking Therapies services and physical health pathways for people with long term conditions, including kidney disease.As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we are expanding NHS Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029, with improved effectiveness and quality of services.Mental health and psychosocial support for people living with kidney disease is a key priority within NHS England’s programme to improve renal care. The Renal Service Transformation Programme (RSTP), published in 2023, provides a national framework for raising standards across the renal pathway, including a strengthened focus on supporting the emotional and psychological needs of patients. Renal clinical networks are working with a stakeholders, i.e. professional societies and renal charities, to support implementation of the RSTP. NHS England is revising the specialised renal service specification to ensure alignment with the RSTP and to support commissioning across the full renal pathway. Published renal service specifications already set expectations for providers to address the psychosocial needs of people with kidney disease. The revised specification reinforces this requirement and strengthens the overall direction for services to deliver holistic, person-centred care that recognises the importance of psychosocial support throughout the renal journey.

What recent steps his Department have taken to improve the health outcomes for patients being treated with kidney disease.

NHS England has established a renal Clinical Reference Group to deliver change across the NHS to accelerate improvements in diagnosis and treatment for people living with kidney disease. NHS England’s regional renal clinical networks, of which there are eight commissioned across England, have established workstreams. These workstreams work with commissioned providers to develop transformation programmes, to reduce the number of patients progressing through the stages of chronic kidney disease, supporting improved patient outcomes.

What research his Department has conducted on the potential impact of kidney disease on mental health.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including the potential impact of kidney disease on mental health.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 patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on the impact of kidney disease on mental health to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.In the past five financial years, the NIHR has allocated £2.051 million in new direct research funding to six projects related to kidney disease, in which the psychosocial aspects of living with or undergoing treatment or testing for kidney disease were addressed as part of the research.Details of NIHR funding allocated to individual research awards are openly published and updated quarterly on the ‘Open Data’ site of the NIHR website, at the following link:https://nihr.opendatasoft.com/explore/

What funding his Department has allocated towards researching the impact of kidney disease on mental health.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including the potential impact of kidney disease on mental health.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 patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on the impact of kidney disease on mental health to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.In the past five financial years, the NIHR has allocated £2.051 million in new direct research funding to six projects related to kidney disease, in which the psychosocial aspects of living with or undergoing treatment or testing for kidney disease were addressed as part of the research.Details of NIHR funding allocated to individual research awards are openly published and updated quarterly on the ‘Open Data’ site of the NIHR website, at the following link:https://nihr.opendatasoft.com/explore/

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) social media and (b) smartphone addiction on children's long-term health outcomes.

In 2019, the UK Chief Medical Officers published a commentary on a systematic review of screen-based activities, including social media, and their impact on children and young people’s mental health. They found an association between screen-based activities and mental health but could not establish causality. The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Education are jointly working to produce and publish new practical, evidence informed guidance on screentime for early years (zero to five) by April 2026. An expert group of child health and development specialists has been convened to shape the guidance, which will also be informed by the perspectives of parents and carers. On 20 January 2026, the Government announced a forthcoming consultation on how to ensure children have a healthy relationship with devices, introduce rapid trials on measures to reduce screentime and limit access at night, and produce evidence-informed screentime guidance for parents of children aged between five and sixteen years old. This three-month consultation will be evidence-led, with input from independent experts. It will report in the summer.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the relative costs of (a) publicly funding health infrastructure and (b) health infrastructure funded through Public Private Partnerships.

The Government has committed significant public capital funding to health infrastructure, with the overall annual capital budget increasing to £15.2 billion by the end of the Spending Review period for 2029/30. Over the five-year Spending Review period, this translates to £30 billion in day-to-day maintenance and repair of the National Health Service estate and over £6 billion of additional capital invested in diagnostic, elective, and urgent and emergency capacity in the NHS. In addition, we remain committed to delivering all schemes within the New Hospital Programme, which will continue through the Spending Review period, rising to a steady rate of £15 billion over five-year cycles.The 2025 Budget announced that the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme will deliver new neighbourhood health centres through upgrading and repurposing existing buildings and building new facilities through a combination of public sector investment and a new model of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). Delivering new neighbourhood health centres through a combination of public investment and PPP will also allow the Government, for the first time, to build further evidence and compare different delivery models.The Department and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority are continuing to develop the new PPP model for neighbourhood health centres with further engagement this year. The new neighbourhood health centres PPP model will build on lessons from the past including the National Audit Office’s 2025 report on private finance and other models currently in use. Further information on the National Audit Office’s 2025 report on private finance is available at the following link:https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/lessons-learned-private-finance-for-infrastructure.pdfTo ensure fiscal transparency and sustainability, the Government will budget for these neighbourhood health centres as if they were on-balance sheet, to ensure that this expenditure is transparent, and fiscally sustainable.

What assessment he has made of the decision not to introduce regulations of mandatory disclosure of payments to the healthcare sector under the Health and Care Act 2022.

The Government recognises the importance of transparency and trust in the health system and has outlined its reasons for introducing guidance, rather than legislative measures, in relation to payments made by industry to the healthcare sector. These reasons can be found in the Government’s consultation response document, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-disclosure-of-industry-payments-to-the-healthcare-sector/outcome/government-response-the-disclosure-of-industry-payments-to-the-healthcare-sectorThe Department will work closely with key stakeholders to develop the guidance over the coming months. Following publication of this guidance, the Department will monitor its uptake closely and retains the option to take additional regulatory or legislative action if required.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of raising the age threshold for eligibility for the Covid-19 vaccine to 75 on clinically vulnerable groups.

The Government’s policy on the groups eligible for vaccination programmes is based on the advice of the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).The JCVI and the JCVI COVID-19 sub-committee carefully considered the evidence on the risk of illness, serious disease, and death as a consequence of COVID-19, as well as modelling and cost-effectiveness analysis, during their meetings of 2024, with the minutes available on the GOV.UK website. Evidence indicated that whilst the risk from COVID-19 is now much lower for most people, adults aged 75 years old and over, residents in care homes for older adults, and those who are immunosuppressed are at highest risk of serious COVID-19 disease.Therefore, a more targeted vaccination programme, aimed at the individuals with a higher risk of developing serious disease, and where vaccination was considered potentially cost-effective, was advised for autumn 2025.The JCVI continues to keep the COVID-19 vaccination programme under review and, through their published list of research recommendations, has actively encouraged further research on the impact of COVID-19 in individuals with underlying medical conditions in the current epidemiological context.

What assessment he has made of the safe operational capacity of Basildon Hospital’s Accident and Emergency department, including of (a) staffing levels, (b) the physical estate and (c) patient flow.

We recognise the importance of ensuring that emergency departments operate safely and effectively. Assessments of staffing levels, the physical estate, and patient flow are matters for local National Health Service trusts, in partnership with integrated care boards, who are best placed to manage services in line with local needs and circumstances.Nationally, NHS England sets standards for emergency care and provides guidance to support trusts in maintaining safe staffing and patient flow.We work closely with NHS England to monitor performance and provide additional support where needed, including investment in urgent and emergency care capacity and initiatives to improve patient flow.

What assessment he has made of disparities in physical activity levels within individual constituencies, and how these disparities are addressed in national health policy.

Data on the percentage of physically active adults is published in the Public Health Outcomes Framework. The data is not published at constituency level, but rather at a national level and for local authorities. Further information is available at the following link:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework/dataAs committed to in the 10-Year Health Plan, we aim to address physically inactivity and help build movement into everyday lives through investing in grassroots sports, developing a new Physical Education and school sports partnership network to support children to reap the benefits of movement, and supporting cycling and walking infrastructure.The NHS Better Health Campaign promotes ways for people of all ages to move more, and signposts to digital support like the NHS Couch to 5k and the NHS Active 10 walking app, providing free and accessible ways of building movement into everyday life.

What assessment he has made of levels of physical activity among adults in South Basildon and East Thurrock compared with national averages.

The Department produces local authority estimates of physical activity among adults aged 19 years old and over. Data is not available for parliamentary constituencies. The following table shows the proportion of physically active adults, those aged 19 years old and over, for the Thurrock and Basildon local authority districts, as well as for England, for the last two years where data is available:PeriodEnglandThurrockComparison of Thurrock to EnglandBasildonComparison of Basildon to England2022/2367.1%57.7%Lower65.0%Similar2023/2467.4%57.2%Lower62.9%Similar The comparisons between the local authority and England estimates take into account the confidence intervals around each estimate. The confidence interval gives a range of values in which the true value is likely to lie if data was available for all adult residents rather than just the sample who took part in the survey. If the confidence intervals do not overlap, then the values are considered to be different and can be described as “higher” or “lower”. If the confidence intervals do overlap, then the values are described as “similar”.Information on the interventions to increase physical activity among adults in these areas can be found in the Active Essex: Find Your Active Lifestyle partnership and their ‘Fit for the future’ 10 year strategy, from 2021 to 2031, as well as the implementation plan for 2025/26, which includes additional support to six key areas, including Basildon and Thurrock, focusing on reducing inequalities for residents facing the greatest barriers to physical activity and sport. Further information on the Active Essex: Find Your Active Lifestyle partnership and their ‘Fit for the future’ 10 year strategy is avaiable, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.activeessex.org/https://www.activeessex.org/about-us/our-strategy/

What targeted interventions are in place to increase physical activity among adults in constituencies such as South Basildon and East Thurrock with below-average participation rates.

The Department produces local authority estimates of physical activity among adults aged 19 years old and over. Data is not available for parliamentary constituencies. The following table shows the proportion of physically active adults, those aged 19 years old and over, for the Thurrock and Basildon local authority districts, as well as for England, for the last two years where data is available:PeriodEnglandThurrockComparison of Thurrock to EnglandBasildonComparison of Basildon to England2022/2367.1%57.7%Lower65.0%Similar2023/2467.4%57.2%Lower62.9%Similar The comparisons between the local authority and England estimates take into account the confidence intervals around each estimate. The confidence interval gives a range of values in which the true value is likely to lie if data was available for all adult residents rather than just the sample who took part in the survey. If the confidence intervals do not overlap, then the values are considered to be different and can be described as “higher” or “lower”. If the confidence intervals do overlap, then the values are described as “similar”.Information on the interventions to increase physical activity among adults in these areas can be found in the Active Essex: Find Your Active Lifestyle partnership and their ‘Fit for the future’ 10 year strategy, from 2021 to 2031, as well as the implementation plan for 2025/26, which includes additional support to six key areas, including Basildon and Thurrock, focusing on reducing inequalities for residents facing the greatest barriers to physical activity and sport. Further information on the Active Essex: Find Your Active Lifestyle partnership and their ‘Fit for the future’ 10 year strategy is avaiable, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.activeessex.org/https://www.activeessex.org/about-us/our-strategy/

What steps the Department is taking to ensure that AI systems used in A&E departments comply with NHS data governance, patient privacy and cybersecurity requirements.

The Government is dedicated to ensuring patient privacy while leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. We have engaged patients and the public in discussions on how and why health data should be accessed for AI systems. The Department and NHS England have implemented robust data protection measures, including Data Protection Impact Assessments and adherence to UK General Data Protection Regulation, to safeguard patient data. All National Health Service trusts and providers must complete a Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) assessment to fully assure that the technologies they use are safe, effective, and that data is protected. This includes technologies used in accident and emergency departments. The DTAC evaluates products to ensure NHS standards for safety, usability, and accessibility are met, with clear evidence requirements and scoring criteria included for each area.The accident and emergency demand forecasting tool, within the NHS England Federated Data Platform, is trained on pseudonymised data, and with only aggregate non-patient level outputs reaching the dashboard users. Regular risk reviews occur to ensure it is as low risk as possible in terms of cyber security and patient privacy and that it follows NHS data governance. The Department and the NHS England Information Governance Team provide guidance for patients, health care professionals, and information governance professionals on the use of AI in the NHS and NHS settings such as accident and emergency departments. The Department works closely with the NHS and its suppliers to share threat intelligence on evolving AI cyber threats.

With reference to the press release entitled Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles A&E bottlenecks, published on 28 December 2025, what steps are being taken to ensure interoperability between AI triage tools and existing NHS electronic patient record systems.

We do not know how many artificial intelligence (AI) based triage or patient flow tools are in accident and emergency (A&E) departments. The A&E demand forecasting tool discussed in the 28 December 2025 press release ‘Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles A&E bottlenecks’ is not a triage or patient flow tool, as it analyses anonymous, aggregate data to generate a forecast of demand on A&E in terms of daily numbers of patient arrivals at A&E and admissions three weeks in advance. It serves as one additional source of information to support local decision making in managing A&E departments.The A&E demand forecasting tool is available via the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) to all National Health Service trusts and integrated care systems in England and is currently being used across 50 organisations. The FDP provides a single, real-time view to improve patient flow, elective recovery, operational decisions, and patient care, alongside national services supporting management, planning, and performance improvements.Individual NHS trusts are free to make their own decisions regarding the adoption and deployment of AI tools, including those that are part of the FDP. As such, the Department does not have access to specific numbers of how many trusts are utilising AI-based triage or patient-flow tools in A&E departments.We are not currently undertaking any work to ensure interoperability between AI triage tools and existing NHS electronic patient records. Local organisations should consider the interoperability of systems, including electronic patient records systems.

What the cost has been to date of deploying AI systems in A&E departments; and what estimate his Department has made of the cost of a national rollout.

To date, the Department has not undertaken any formal assessment or estimate on the cost or value of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to predict levels of demand in accident and emergency departments.Decisions regarding the adoption and deployment of AI tools, including those used for demand prediction in accident and emergency settings as discussed in the article ‘Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles accident and emergency bottlenecks’, are made at a local level by individual National Health Service trusts. At present, NHS trusts have autonomy to determine the use of such technologies, taking into account the needs and priorities of their respective organisation, independent of the Government. As such, we do not have a cost estimate of a national rollout, nor can we confirm the procurement processes used by those organisations.The implementation of the AI tools discussed in the article ‘Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles accident and emergency bottlenecks’ did not involve an individual procurement of third-party goods or services for the accident and emergency tool, which was developed in the Federated Data Platform. AI implementation programmes that do involve the procurement of third-party goods, services, or digital products are managed in compliance with the obligations set out in the Procurement Act 2023, and the relevant NHS contracting authorities' standing financial instructions.

With reference to the press release entitled Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles A&E bottlenecks, published on 28 December 2025, if he will commission an independent evaluation of the potential impact of AI‑enabled A&E systems on NHS organisations utilising them.

Currently, there are no plans for a formal independent evaluation of the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) enabled accident and emergency systems on National Health Service organisations. However, NHS England is undertaking an internal evaluation, as the particular AI tool referenced within the press release is an NHS England development, built within the Federated Data Platform.The tool has been subject to quality assurance and includes built-in metrics to monitor forecast accuracy and performance over time. To date, evaluation has focused on technical robustness, data quality, and usability, rather than the direct impacts on waiting times, which are influenced by multiple factors beyond demand forecasting alone.

Pursuant to the press release of 28 December 2025 on AI use in hospitals, how many NHS Trusts have deployed AI‑based triage or patient‑flow tools in A&E departments as of January 2026; and what criteria were used to select participating sites.

We do not know how many artificial intelligence (AI) based triage or patient flow tools are in accident and emergency (A&E) departments. The A&E demand forecasting tool discussed in the 28 December 2025 press release ‘Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles A&E bottlenecks’ is not a triage or patient flow tool, as it analyses anonymous, aggregate data to generate a forecast of demand on A&E in terms of daily numbers of patient arrivals at A&E and admissions three weeks in advance. It serves as one additional source of information to support local decision making in managing A&E departments.The A&E demand forecasting tool is available via the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) to all National Health Service trusts and integrated care systems in England and is currently being used across 50 organisations. The FDP provides a single, real-time view to improve patient flow, elective recovery, operational decisions, and patient care, alongside national services supporting management, planning, and performance improvements.Individual NHS trusts are free to make their own decisions regarding the adoption and deployment of AI tools, including those that are part of the FDP. As such, the Department does not have access to specific numbers of how many trusts are utilising AI-based triage or patient-flow tools in A&E departments.We are not currently undertaking any work to ensure interoperability between AI triage tools and existing NHS electronic patient records. Local organisations should consider the interoperability of systems, including electronic patient records systems.