Written questions by McMurdock.

Pursuant to Answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 109953, what steps he is taking to support parents where food choices are primarily determined by cost and convenience rather than exposure to marketing.

The Healthy Start Scheme helps to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. In April 2026, the value of the weekly payments will increase by 10%. Pregnant women and children aged over one and under four years old will each receive £4.65 per week, up from £4.25 and children under one years old will each receive £9.30 per week, up from £8.50. Government advice on a healthy, balanced diet is encapsulated in the United Kingdom’s national food model, the Eatwell Guide. The Eatwell Guide is a visual representation of the types and proportions of foods needed for a healthy balanced diet, and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-eatwell-guide Government advice on healthy eating, including the Eatwell Guide principles, are communicated through the NHS.UK website and the Government’s social marketing campaigns, which includes Better Health Healthier Families, and Start for Life aimed at families to help make healthier choices The Family hub service expectations 2025-26 outlines that family hubs staff should be able to talk with families about healthy weight in an informed and sensitive way, signpost healthy eating guidance, for example, the Eatwell Guide and five-a-day, and connect children and their parents/carers to local or national weight management services where appropriate. Further information is available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67cacd94a175f08d198d80c2/Family_Hubs_Service_Expectations_2025-2026.pdf

What guidance his Department provides to ambulance services on directing patients to alternative services where an ambulance conveyance to hospital is not required.

On 6 June 2025, we published our Urgent and Emergency Care Delivery Plan for 2025/26, and on 25 October 2025 we published the Medium-Term Planning Framework. To support ambulance services with increased decision making and capability, NHS England in 2025/26 has published a new ambulance commissioning specification for integrated care boards that will drive consistency across England in the commissioning of ambulance services, including actions which support patients to access the care they need in the community. Included in these frameworks was guidance on impactful interventions such as Hear and Treat and clinical navigation of Category 3 and 4 calls so they are validated and where appropriate triaged in ambulance control centres, or in a Single Points of Access to direct patients to alternative healthcare provision in the community such as Urgent Treatment Centres.

Pursuant to Answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 109953, what steps he is taking to introduce policies aimed at supporting parents such as a) affordability of healthy food and b) awareness of the impacts of unhealthy food.

The Healthy Start Scheme helps to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. In April 2026, the value of the weekly payments will increase by 10%. Pregnant women and children aged over one and under four years old will each receive £4.65 per week, up from £4.25 and children under one years old will each receive £9.30 per week, up from £8.50. Government advice on a healthy, balanced diet is encapsulated in the United Kingdom’s national food model, the Eatwell Guide. The Eatwell Guide is a visual representation of the types and proportions of foods needed for a healthy balanced diet, and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-eatwell-guide Government advice on healthy eating, including the Eatwell Guide principles, are communicated through the NHS.UK website and the Government’s social marketing campaigns, which includes Better Health Healthier Families, and Start for Life aimed at families to help make healthier choices The Family hub service expectations 2025-26 outlines that family hubs staff should be able to talk with families about healthy weight in an informed and sensitive way, signpost healthy eating guidance, for example, the Eatwell Guide and five-a-day, and connect children and their parents/carers to local or national weight management services where appropriate. Further information is available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67cacd94a175f08d198d80c2/Family_Hubs_Service_Expectations_2025-2026.pdf

What assessment he has made of the impact of out-of-area residential and nursing care placements on individuals’ access to family support networks.

Decisions about care placements are made locally, based on individual assessments of need and personal circumstances. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets and commission services to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a variety of different providers and specialist services that provide genuine choice to meet the needs of local people and that offer quality and value for money.There is no single national assessment of the impact of out‑of‑area placements on access to family support networks. However, local authorities should engage with people who draw on care and support, and their families and carers, to inform commissioning decisions and to consider the outcomes which matter to them.Under the Health and Care Act 2022, the Care Quality Commission has a statutory duty to assess how well local authorities are delivering their adult social care duties. However, we recognise that out-of-area placements can sometimes occur due to a lack of available provision in the area.

What steps he is taking to reduce the need for out-of-area placements in residential and nursing care.

Decisions about care placements are made locally, based on individual assessments of need and personal circumstances. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets and commission services to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a variety of different providers and specialist services that provide genuine choice to meet the needs of local people and that offer quality and value for money.There is no single national assessment of the impact of out‑of‑area placements on access to family support networks. However, local authorities should engage with people who draw on care and support, and their families and carers, to inform commissioning decisions and to consider the outcomes which matter to them.Under the Health and Care Act 2022, the Care Quality Commission has a statutory duty to assess how well local authorities are delivering their adult social care duties. However, we recognise that out-of-area placements can sometimes occur due to a lack of available provision in the area.

What estimate he has made of the number of people attending accident and emergency departments during winter 2024-25 with minor conditions such as a) itchy skin, b) ingrown toenails or c) a sore throat.

The number of people attending accident and emergency departments for all type services (including Type 3 Minor injuries and urgent treatment centres) during winter (from November to February) 2024/25 with a) itchy skin, b) paronychia due to ingrown toenails or c) a sore throat is published by NHS England in the ECDS Open Data which is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/hospital-accident--emergency-activity/2024-25

What steps he is taking to help ensure patients with minor ailments are directed to appropriate NHS services before they attend accident and emergency departments.

The Government is committed to continuing to improve National Health Services, including NHS 111 to ensure patients can access the right care first time, only visiting accident and emergency when necessary.The Urgent and Emergency Care Plan is backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding, including £250 million of capital investment for the continued expansion of co-located urgent treatment centres and same-day emergency care. This provides additional capacity for minor urgent health problems, ensuring that resources are targeted appropriately and that emergency care remains available for the most acutely unwell patients.The plan also commits to reviewing NHS 111 services and incorporating the recommendations from the review, to make the service more effective, quicker and simpler to navigate.We are also expanding urgent care in primary, community, and mental health settings, increasing vaccination uptake, and offering health checks to the most vulnerable. Integrated care boards and trust winter plans have been stress-tested to ensure resilience, reducing pressure on accident and emergency.

What steps he is taking to support NHS trusts to maintain an appropriate level of bed occupancy during winter months.

As set out in the 2025/26 Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, the National Health Service is focussing on improvements that will see the biggest impact on urgent and emergency care performance during winter, including:- improving hospital flow, with a focus on reducing the number of patients waiting more than 12 hours and making progress towards eliminating corridor care;- reducing ambulance handovers to a maximum of 45 minutes, ensuring patients are transferred more quickly into hospital care;- agreeing local pathway profiles to support discharge capacity planning and eliminate internal discharge delays of more than 48 hours in all settings;- reducing the average length of stay for patients requiring an overnight emergency admission by at least 0.4 days returning closer to pre-pandemic levels;- expanding access to urgent care in primary, community, and mental health settings - including increasing the number of people supported by Urgent Community Response teams and treated in virtual wards; and- improving vaccination uptake among frontline staff, aiming to raise coverage in 2025/26 by at least 5% towards the pre-pandemic 2018/19 level.We started planning earlier and have taken more action than in previous years to prepare for winter pressures. We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the NHS over winter months, providing additional support to services across the country as needed.

If he will make a comparative assessment of bed occupancy levels at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust between October and December 2025 with the national average during the same period.

NHS England publishes data on general and acute bed (G&A) occupancy and capacity. Between October and December 2025, the average G&A bed occupancy rate at the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust was 94.8%, compared to 93% nationally.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Pharmacy First scheme in reducing avoidable attendances to accident and emergency departments.

The Department does not hold data on the number of avoidable attendances to accident and emergency departments have been prevented by Pharmacy First. Pharmacy First is a complex service that links to multiple parts of the healthcare system. The service aims to offer eligible patients a complete episode of care in the pharmacy setting and to receive treatment for seven common health conditions releasing pressure on general practice appointments and the wider National Health Service. Since the service launched, there have been over 4.8 million consultations, with over 3.6 million consultations resulting in supply medicines.

What steps he is taking to improve public awareness of alternative urgent care services, such as a) community pharmacies, b) urgent treatment centres and c) NHS 111.

The Department and NHS England have launched national campaigns to raise awareness of urgent National Health Services. The Pharmacy First campaign, from October 2025 to January 2026, encouraged people to seek treatment for seven common conditions at pharmacies, helping to relieve pressure on general practice over winter. It used various media channels, including television, radio, outdoor adverts, social media, and online platforms. The NHS 111 campaign, from November 2025 to March 2026, promoted the use of the 111 service for urgent medical needs, directing people to suitable care options, including urgent treatment centres and mental health support, through similar advertising channels. Government and NHS online resources also signpost people to the most appropriate urgent care services.

What assessment he has made of the impact of levels of access to GP appointments in influencing patients’ decisions to attend accident and emergency departments for non-emergency conditions.

National Health Service guidance is clear that patients should only attend accident and emergency (A&E) for emergencies that cannot be dealt with by a patient’s general practice (GP), NHS 111, or walk-in centres. GPs are independent contractors to the National Health Service and are required to provide care during core hours, from 08:00 to 18:30, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays. Evidence suggests that when practices are closed, patients are more likely to seek care elsewhere. The 2025 GP Patient Survey found that 23.4% of respondents reported attending A&E when they wanted care or advice from a healthcare professional and their GP was closed. Though the survey does not qualify whether the attendance was due to urgent or non-urgent care being needed. The Office for National Statistics’ Health Insight Survey shows that the proportion of patients who find it easy to access their GP has increased significantly, from 60.9% in July 2024 to nearly 77% more recently. As part of efforts to improve access, from 1 October GPs were required to make online services available throughout core hours. For the first time, the Office for National Statistics’ data shows that more patients surveyed are now contacting their GP online than by telephone, with 44.6% contacting practices online compared with 38.9% by phone. There has also been a 17.9%, or 1.3 million, increase in online consultation submissions in January 2026 compared to December 2025. This expansion of access routes is intended to make it easier for patients to receive timely advice and care from GPs, supporting appropriate use of urgent and emergency services The 2026/27 GP Contract also makes it explicit that any requests identified as clinically urgent, as determined by the GP, must be dealt with on the same day.Out of hours services are those provided outside of these core hours, from 18:30 to 08:00 on weekdays, all weekends and on bank holidays. Practices may provide out of hours services or opt out of providing these with their commissioner’s approval.Where a practice has opted out of delivering these services, the commissioner, such as an integrated care board, must commission the services from an alternative provider for that practice’s registered patients.Last year we invested £80 million in Advice and Guidance. We are now embedding this money in core contract funding. As a result, since April 2025, we have avoided 1.3 million patients ending up on a waiting list.

Whether he has held discussions with the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust on potential factors that contributed to bed occupancy rates at the Trust between October and December 2025.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not held discussions with the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust on potential factors that contributed to bed occupancy rates at the trust between October and December 2025. However, in line with normal practice, NHS England regional teams hold discussions with the trust on performance, including bed occupancy rates. We started planning earlier and have taken more action than in previous years to prepare for winter pressures. We closely monitored the impact of winter pressures on the National Health Service over winter months, providing additional support to services across the country as needed.As set out in the Urgent and emergency care plan 2025/26, the NHS is focused on improvements that has seen the biggest impact on urgent and emergency care performance during winter including:expanding access to urgent care in primary, community, and mental health settings, which includes increasing the number of people supported by Urgent Community Response teams and treated in virtual wards;improving hospital flow through accident and emergency departments, with a focus on reducing the number of patients waiting more than 12 hours and making progress towards eliminating corridor care;reducing the average length of stay for patients requiring an overnight emergency admission by at least 0.4 days, returning closer to pre-pandemic levels; andagreeing local pathway profiles to support discharge capacity planning and eliminate internal discharge delays of more than 48 hours in all settings.

What recent assessment he has made of the waiting times for the provision of disability equipment, such as a) wheelchairs, b) hoists and c) grab rails.

Not all of the data requested is held centrally. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, and responsibility for providing equipment and wheelchairs to disabled people typically falls to local authorities and the National Health Service.Local authorities in England have a statutory duty to make arrangements for the provision of community equipment for disabled people in their area. Responsibility for managing the market for these services, including commissioning and oversight of delivery, rests with local authorities. The NHS is responsible for providing wheelchairs for people with longer-term, complex needs.The Medium Term Planning Framework, published in October 2025, requires that from 2026/27 all ICBs and community health services must actively manage and reduce the proportion of waits across all community health services over 18 weeks and develop a plan to eliminate all 52-week waits. These targets will guide systems to reduce longest waits.NHS England is supporting ICBs to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of NHS wheelchairs, and to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment. This includes publishing a Wheelchair Quality Framework on 9 April 2025, which sets out quality standards and statutory requirements for ICBs, such as offering personal wheelchair budgets.Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required.In Quarter 3 of 2025/26, the proportion of patients whose episode of care was closed in the reporting period and prescribed equipment was delivered within 18 weeks or less was 79% for children, up from 77.7% in Quarter 2, and 83.1% for adults, down from 84.1% in Quarter 2. The following publications and data sources provide some relevant information about disability equipment, but this is not a complete picture. Firstly, the Acute discharge situation report: technical specification, regarding equipment and associated training not yet delivered, for pathways one to three. The patient requires equipment in order to allow them to be discharged. This has been requested by the care transfer hub but not yet provided, or further training for formal or informal carers is required before it can be safely used. This publication is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/acute-discharge-situation-report-technical-specification/#annex-c-reason-for-discharge-delay Secondly, the Intermediate care data collection – technical guidance, where intermediate care is a collective term for short-term interventions that aim to maximise people’s independence and quality of life following or during a period of illness. It includes ‘step-down’ services after discharge from an episode of acute care to support recovery and ‘step-up’ services to avoid admission to hospital. Intermediate care commonly involves rehabilitation, reablement, and recovery support, and can be provided in a person’s home or in a community bedded setting. This publication is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/intermediate-care-data-collection-technical-guidance/

What data his Department holds on the number of people currently waiting for disability equipment through a) local authority or b) NHS community services.

Not all of the data requested is held centrally. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, and responsibility for providing equipment and wheelchairs to disabled people typically falls to local authorities and the National Health Service.Local authorities in England have a statutory duty to make arrangements for the provision of community equipment for disabled people in their area. Responsibility for managing the market for these services, including commissioning and oversight of delivery, rests with local authorities. The NHS is responsible for providing wheelchairs for people with longer-term, complex needs.The Medium Term Planning Framework, published in October 2025, requires that from 2026/27 all ICBs and community health services must actively manage and reduce the proportion of waits across all community health services over 18 weeks and develop a plan to eliminate all 52-week waits. These targets will guide systems to reduce longest waits.NHS England is supporting ICBs to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of NHS wheelchairs, and to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment. This includes publishing a Wheelchair Quality Framework on 9 April 2025, which sets out quality standards and statutory requirements for ICBs, such as offering personal wheelchair budgets.Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required.In Quarter 3 of 2025/26, the proportion of patients whose episode of care was closed in the reporting period and prescribed equipment was delivered within 18 weeks or less was 79% for children, up from 77.7% in Quarter 2, and 83.1% for adults, down from 84.1% in Quarter 2. The following publications and data sources provide some relevant information about disability equipment, but this is not a complete picture. Firstly, the Acute discharge situation report: technical specification, regarding equipment and associated training not yet delivered, for pathways one to three. The patient requires equipment in order to allow them to be discharged. This has been requested by the care transfer hub but not yet provided, or further training for formal or informal carers is required before it can be safely used. This publication is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/acute-discharge-situation-report-technical-specification/#annex-c-reason-for-discharge-delay Secondly, the Intermediate care data collection – technical guidance, where intermediate care is a collective term for short-term interventions that aim to maximise people’s independence and quality of life following or during a period of illness. It includes ‘step-down’ services after discharge from an episode of acute care to support recovery and ‘step-up’ services to avoid admission to hospital. Intermediate care commonly involves rehabilitation, reablement, and recovery support, and can be provided in a person’s home or in a community bedded setting. This publication is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/intermediate-care-data-collection-technical-guidance/

Pursuant to Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 115668, what estimate he has made of the number of additional patients who will need to be treated within four hours in order to meet his target.

NHS England publishes data on the number of patients admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours in accident and emergency (A&E) departments on a monthly basis. The information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2025-26/March 2026 data will be published in April. However, in March 2025, there were 2.4 million total A&E attendances, and four hour performance was 75%. In order to meet 78% in March 2025, approximately 72,000 additional patients would have needed to wait less than four hours from arrival to admission, transfer, or discharge.The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out clear actions to deliver improvements this winter and beyond. We are aiming for 78% of patients to be seen in in four hours this year, meaning over 800,000 people will receive more timely care.We are investing £250 million into expanding same day and urgent care services, helping avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital and supporting faster diagnosis, treatment, and discharge for patients.

Pursuant to Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 115668, what proportion of the £250 million allocated to expand same day and urgent care services will be distributed to a) NHS trusts and b) ICBs.

NHS England is responsible for the operational delivery of the £250 million capital investment to continue expanding same day emergency care and co‑located urgent treatment centres.NHS England has confirmed that this funding will support 40 schemes in 2025/26, comprising 15 new services and 25 expansions. This includes ten new urgent treatment centres (UTCs) and four UTC expansions, alongside five new same day emergency care (SDEC) services and 21 SDEC expansions.The schemes were selected based on business cases submitted by National Health Service trusts who will draw down the funding directly.

Pursuant to Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 115668, what proportion of the £250 million investment in same day and urgent care services will be used to a) expand existing facilities and b) fund new services.

NHS England is responsible for the operational delivery of the £250 million capital investment to continue expanding same day emergency care and co‑located urgent treatment centres.NHS England has confirmed that this funding will support 40 schemes in 2025/26, comprising 15 new services and 25 expansions. This includes ten new urgent treatment centres (UTCs) and four UTC expansions, alongside five new same day emergency care (SDEC) services and 21 SDEC expansions.The schemes were selected based on business cases submitted by National Health Service trusts who will draw down the funding directly.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of current waiting times in accessing disability equipment on people’s ability to live independently.

No assessment has been made of the impact of waiting times in accessing disability equipment on independent living. Local authorities (LAs) in England have a statutory duty under the Care Act 2014, and the Children and Families Act 2014, to make arrangements for the provision of disability aids and community equipment, to meet the assessed eligible needs of individuals who are resident in their area. Some LAs deliver this themselves but a significant number have external contracts for an integrated community equipment service.Guidance to support the implementation of the Care Act 2014 states that community equipment, aids and adaptations can support reablement and promote independence contributing to preventing the needs for care and support.

Pursuant to Answer of 5 March 2026 to Question 115670, how many National Patient Safety Alerts have been issued in response to incidents originating in accident and emergency departments in the past three years.

In the period from 2023 to 2025, three full calendar years, the National Patient Safety Team issued seven National Patient Safety Alerts.Whilst none of those originated from a single incident occurring in an emergency department, one alert in January 2023 was issued in response to a general concern that increasing pressure on the urgent and emergency care system was impacting the delivery of oxygen therapy to patients in clinical areas. To optimise the safe delivery of oxygen via portable oxygen cylinders, an alert was issued by the National Patient Safety Team, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/2023/01/use-of-oxygen-cylinders-where-patients-do-not-have-access-to-medical-gas-pipeline-systems/The alert asked providers to review NHS England guidance and conduct a risk assessment for all patient escalation/transient areas without piped oxygen and for trust medical gas committees to review and act on findings. Further information on the guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Official-sensitive-Oxygen-Cylinder-Comms-24-Jan-2023-UPDATE.pdfCompliance with all National Patient Safety Alerts is overseen by the Care Quality Commission.