Every parliamentary written question tabled by James McMurdock this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 101–120 of 526 · Department of Health and Social Care
What proportion of the 12-hour accident and emergency performance period is accounted for by (a) triage, (b) waiting for clinical assessment, (c) diagnostics and (d) treatment and discharge.
This information is not available in the format requested.
Pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2026 to Question 120732, what the planned completion timelines are for the 40 funded schemes.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
What comparative assessment he has made of the disparity between male and female suicide rates with other OECD countries.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
What estimate he has made of the proportion of patients attending accident and emergency departments who leave before being assessed by a doctor: and what assessment he has made of the reasons for such patients leaving.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of implementing the Model Emergency Department guidance on patient outcomes.
The Model Emergency Department guidance, published in February 2026, sets out a consistent national framework describing the core principles and pathways of high-performing emergency departments. This is supported by guidance on extended emergency medicine ambulatory care services and the Model Acute Pathway, which sets out standards for the first 72 hours in hospital.The Department expects the guidance to support improved patient outcomes by enabling better patient flow, reducing waiting times and overcrowding, and supporting earlier senior decision-making, which are all associated with safer and more timely care.The guidance provides a shared national model to support greater consistency in urgent and emergency care provision, including clearer clinical pathways and more consistent approaches to ambulatory and acute care, while allowing flexibility for local health systems to tailor delivery to local need.NHS England is supporting implementation through national guidance, including companion operating principles, and by asking providers to develop improvement plans aligned to the Model Emergency Department, including demand and capacity modelling. Support is also targeted towards the most challenged organisations through oversight arrangements, improvement teams, and established improvement programmes.
What assessment he has made of the potential challenges for NHS trusts in implementing the Model Emergency Department guidance.
The Model Emergency Department guidance, published in February 2026, sets out a consistent national framework describing the core principles and pathways of high-performing emergency departments. This is supported by guidance on extended emergency medicine ambulatory care services and the Model Acute Pathway, which sets out standards for the first 72 hours in hospital.The Department expects the guidance to support improved patient outcomes by enabling better patient flow, reducing waiting times and overcrowding, and supporting earlier senior decision-making, which are all associated with safer and more timely care.The guidance provides a shared national model to support greater consistency in urgent and emergency care provision, including clearer clinical pathways and more consistent approaches to ambulatory and acute care, while allowing flexibility for local health systems to tailor delivery to local need.NHS England is supporting implementation through national guidance, including companion operating principles, and by asking providers to develop improvement plans aligned to the Model Emergency Department, including demand and capacity modelling. Support is also targeted towards the most challenged organisations through oversight arrangements, improvement teams, and established improvement programmes.
What steps he is taking to ensure consistency in urgent care provision.
The Model Emergency Department guidance, published in February 2026, sets out a consistent national framework describing the core principles and pathways of high-performing emergency departments. This is supported by guidance on extended emergency medicine ambulatory care services and the Model Acute Pathway, which sets out standards for the first 72 hours in hospital.The Department expects the guidance to support improved patient outcomes by enabling better patient flow, reducing waiting times and overcrowding, and supporting earlier senior decision-making, which are all associated with safer and more timely care.The guidance provides a shared national model to support greater consistency in urgent and emergency care provision, including clearer clinical pathways and more consistent approaches to ambulatory and acute care, while allowing flexibility for local health systems to tailor delivery to local need.NHS England is supporting implementation through national guidance, including companion operating principles, and by asking providers to develop improvement plans aligned to the Model Emergency Department, including demand and capacity modelling. Support is also targeted towards the most challenged organisations through oversight arrangements, improvement teams, and established improvement programmes.
What analysis he has carried out on the factors contributing to disparities in suicide rates in males and females.
Every suicide is a tragedy that has a devastating and enduring impact on families, friends, and communities. In England, men account for the majority of suicide deaths, and the male suicide rate is approximately three times higher than the female rate.That is why we are committed to delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. The strategy highlights a set of priority groups for tailored and targeted support, including middle-aged men, and identifies key risk factors with strong links to suicide, such as financial difficulty, substance misuse, social isolation, harmful gambling, domestic abuse, and physical illness, and that can affect men and women differently. We will deliver a Suicide Prevention Pathfinders Programme for middle-aged men, a neighbourhood-based programme focused on improving outcomes, investing up to £3.6 million over three years for middle-aged men in areas where they are at greatest risk of taking their own lives.
What plans he has to introduce national minimum staffing level guidance for NHS services.
There are no plans to introduce national minimum staffing level guidance. Staffing levels are determined locally, supported by national guidance and regulated by the Care Quality Commission.Guidance from the National Quality Board entitled Safe, sustainable and productive staffing, from 2016, and Developing Workforce Safeguards, from 2018, are designed to ensure a consistent, scientific, and evidence-based approach to staffing levels and to improve governance and board accountability relating to staffing decisions. Both guidance documents are available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/nqb-guidance.pdfhttps://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Developing-workforce-safeguards.pdf
What assessment he has made of trends in the level of staff perceptions of staffing levels and their ability to deliver safe patient care in the NHS.
The Department assesses the state and sentiment of the National Health Service workforce through the annual NHS Staff Survey.The full findings of the NHS Staff Survey is available at the following link:https://www.nhsstaffsurveys.com/results/national-results/Employers are best placed to determine their workforce needs based on local needs. In addition, the 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how national supply will be achieved and will be making sure that staff are better treated, have more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future.
What steps he is taking to reduce NHS spending on agency staff.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
How much Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust spent on agency staff in each of the last three financial years.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
What estimate he has made of the cost difference between NHS bank staff and agency staff.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
What estimate his Department has made of the number of British nationals who obtained medical degrees overseas and subsequently applied for roles within the NHS in each of the last five years.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
What discussions he has had with local authorities in Essex on commissioning adequate local adult social care provision.
Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population. Under the Care Act 2014, they are tasked with the duty to shape their care market and to commission a range of high-quality, sustainable, and person-centred care and support services to meet the diverse needs of all local people. In performing that duty, a local authority must have regard to current and likely future demand for services, including residential and nursing care, and must consider how providers might meet that demand. 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 those related to the commissioning described above. As part of their assessment process, the CQC collects a range of evidence and engages directly with local authorities to inform assessment outcomes. 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.All reports are made available on the CQC’s website. Essex County Council was rated ‘Good’ by the CQC. Their assessment was published on 27 June 2025 and can be found at the following link:https://www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports/essex-0625
What plans he has to introduce pathways for British nationals who obtained medical degrees overseas when applying for NHS roles.
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 implements the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training places, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with significant National Health Service experience for specialty training places. Under the act, a UK medical graduate is defined as someone with a UK primary medical qualification who did not spend the majority of their time training for that qualification outside the British Islands.For specialty training places starting in 2026, we are using immigration statuses as a practical proxy to capture applicants who are most likely to have significant experience working in the health service in the UK. The effect of this is that British citizens will be prioritised. From 2027, immigration status will no longer automatically determine priority for specialty training. Instead, we will be able to make regulations to specify any additional groups who will be prioritised by reference to criteria indicating significant experience as a doctor in the health service, or by reference to immigration status.Overseas‑qualified doctors must meet General Medical Council (GMC) registration and licensing requirements before practising in the National Health Service. A range of information and guidance is available through the GMC website to support doctors through the registration process. The Government is currently consulting on reforms to the legislative framework governing the GMC, which will provide the GMC with greater flexibility to adapt its registration pathways to meet future workforce needs. The consultation closes on 23 June 2026.
What steps he is taking to increase residential and nursing care capacity to reduce the need for out-of-area placements.
Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population. Under the Care Act 2014, they are tasked with the duty to shape their care market and to commission a range of high-quality, sustainable, and person-centred care and support services to meet the diverse needs of all local people. In performing that duty, a local authority must have regard to current and likely future demand for services, including residential and nursing care, and must consider how providers might meet that demand. 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 those related to the commissioning described above. As part of their assessment process, the CQC collects a range of evidence and engages directly with local authorities to inform assessment outcomes. 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.All reports are made available on the CQC’s website. Essex County Council was rated ‘Good’ by the CQC. Their assessment was published on 27 June 2025 and can be found at the following link:https://www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports/essex-0625
With reference to his Department’s press release entitled NHS patients and British businesses to benefit from historic changes to medicines access following pharmaceutical partnership with USA, published on 2 April 2026, what modelling his Department has undertaken of the long-term cost implications for the NHS of the changes to medicines access and pricing.
The Department has already been clear that the estimated costs of the United Kingdom’s medicines pricing commitments are approximately £1 billion in England over the remaining three-years of the Spending Review. The final and longer-term costs of these changes will depend on future growth in spending on medicines.This is not something that we can pre-empt at this time as it depends on which drugs come to market and which are assessed as approved for use on the National Health Service accordingly.
With reference to his Department’s press release entitled NHS patients and British businesses to benefit from historic changes to medicines access following pharmaceutical partnership with USA, published on 2 April 2026, what plans his Department has to report to Parliament on the outcomes of the partnership and its effects on NHS spending and patient access.
The Government has already enabled parliamentary scrutiny on this subject and will continue to follow standard processes to update Parliament on developments as appropriate.Members of Parliament continue to have the opportunity to table parliamentary questions on this subject.
With reference to his Department’s press release entitled NHS patients and British businesses to benefit from historic changes to medicines access following pharmaceutical partnership with USA, published on 2 April 2026, what measures are in place to monitor whether the accelerated access to new treatments is translating into measurable improvements in patient outcomes.
The Department will continue to work with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and NHS England to monitor and assess access to medicines in the United Kingdom and to monitor patient outcomes through the NHS Outcomes Framework Indicators.There are no plans to routinely monitor the direct impact of accelerated access to new medicines on patient outcomes.