Written questions by Hunt.

What steps he is taking to clarify accountability for patient safety where care is delivered across multiple NHS organisations.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the long-term patient safety impact of the Synnovis ransomware attack on NHS trusts in south-east London.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the implications for his policy of ending corridor care of the findings of the Healthcare Services Safety Investigation Body’s report entitled Patient care in tempora

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of taking legislative steps to allow pharmacists to make safe substitutions when a prescribed medicine is unavailable.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of convening an emergency taskforce to address current medicine shortages.

Awaiting answer.

Whether he plans to review the legal framework governing the care of people experiencing a mental health crisis in emergency departments.

Awaiting answer.

What progress he has made on implementing the recommendations of the report Reading the Signals: Maternity and Neonatal Services in East Kent since its publication.

Following publication of Dr Bill Kirkup’s report, Reading the Signals: Maternity and Neonatal Services in East Kent, Dr Kirkup was appointed by the Department to develop concrete actions to implement the report’s recommendations. In this work, Dr Kirkup c...

What progress he has made on implementing the 15 Immediate and Essential Actions set out in the final report of the Ockenden Review into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NH

The Ockenden review into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford hospital trust identified 15 Immediate and Essential Actions. Following its publication, NHS England wrote to all trusts and systems asking them to deliver the actions and report to...

Whether his Department continues to support Recommendation 6.1 of the Williams Review on removing the General Medical Council’s right of appeal under section 40A of the Medical Act 1983.

All of the proposals relating to the findings of the Williams Review and the Mann Review contained within the Reforming the General Medical Council legislative framework consultation, published 24 March 2026, are currently open for public consultation. We welcome stakeholder views on the consultation and responses will be carefully considered to help inform future policy decisions.

What assessment he has made of the Mann Review (March 2026) as potential justification for retaining the General Medical Council’s section 40A appeal power in the Draft Order.

All of the proposals relating to the findings of the Williams Review and the Mann Review contained within the Reforming the General Medical Council legislative framework consultation, published 24 March 2026, are currently open for public consultation. We welcome stakeholder views on the consultation and responses will be carefully considered to help inform future policy decisions.

What progress his Department has made on (a) developing and (b) publishing a national implementation plan for Fracture Liaison Services.

Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030. Integrated care boards (ICBs) remain well-placed to make decisions according to local need. The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy sets an expectation that ICBs prioritise community-based models when commissioning new fracture prevention services.

If he will require that healthcare professionals involved in the care of people with very severe ME complete condition-specific (a) training and (b) e-learning.

NHS England, with support from the Department, has developed an e-learning programme to support healthcare professionals in the care of people with myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), of all levels of severity. All four sessions of the e-learning programme are now available, with sessions one, two, and three having universal access, whilst the fourth session, which includes support and clinical management of severe ME/CFS, is only available to healthcare professionals. Further information can be found at the following link:https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/mecfselearning?nodeId=7288The Medical Schools Council will promote the e-learning programme to all United Kingdom medical schools and will encourage those medical schools to provide undergraduates with direct patient experience of ME/CFS.Additionally, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has developed guidance on the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS, including mental health support for people with ME/CFS and their families. NICE guidelines are evidence-based, informed by clinical expertise, and represent best practice, and although NICE guidelines are not mandatory, healthcare professionals are expected to take them fully into account.

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the (a) prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in Godalming and Ash constituency compared with national averages.

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the number of FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ for Godalming and Ash and England, for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and provisionally for 2025/26:Westminster Parliamentary Constituency of Residence2024/25 (August 2024 to March 2025)2025/26 (April 2025 to November 2025)Godalming and Ash935775England612,855511,558Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England. Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s Fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Surrey, which includes Godalming and Ash, can be found at the following link: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E10000030/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

How the functions of local Healthwatch will be delivered by ICBs and local authorities.

The abolition of local Healthwatch (LHW) and the transfer of its functions will require primary legislation. The timing of this is subject to the will of Parliament and will happen when parliamentary time allows.We are proposing to place responsibility for the health function of LHW with integrated care boards. Local authorities will be responsible for the social care LHW functions.

What steps he is taking to ensure that Cystic Fibrosis patients living in North London are not adversely impacted by the proposed removal of respiratory services from the Royal Brompton Hospital.

Any changes to services must follow established statutory processes, including full clinical engagement, consideration of patient impact, and public consultation where required. These processes are designed to ensure that any proposed reconfiguration maintains or improves the quality, safety, and accessibility of care for patients.The Department expects NHS England and local commissioners to demonstrate that any changes will not adversely affect patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and that services continue to meet the national service specifications for specialised respiratory and CF care. This includes ensuring that specialist multidisciplinary CF teams remain accessible, that transition and continuity of care are safeguarded, and that travel times and capacity implications are assessed and mitigated.Although the location of some services will change, there is no reduction in CF services capacity and no loss of specialist expertise as a result of this change. The full paediatric CF multidisciplinary team, including specialist clinicians, nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists and dietitians, will continue to care for patients as a single specialist service.

What steps he is taking to ensure that patients with suspected endometriosis can access clinicians with specialist expertise through the NHS online hospital.

NHS Online will be a new, optional online service allowing patients to digitally connect with clinicians across England. In January 2026, we announced the initial specialities and conditions that NHS Online will focus on. Menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis will be one of the first conditions available for referral to NHS Online when it launches in 2027. This pathway being developed for NHS Online incorporates a process for investigation, management, and onward referral to specialist services within a timely manner if clinically indicated.This means that when a patient goes to see their general practitioner, they will have the option of being referred, through their legal right to choice, to NHS Online for their care. Should a consultation be required, they will see the next available specialist, who may be anywhere in the country. Following an NHS Online assessment, if a patient requires or chooses a face-to-face consultation they will be referred to a local provider.Patient safety will not be compromised. Clinical oversight will be robust, keeping patient safety at the heart of the process.

What steps he is taking to ensure that women accessing care for (a) menopause and (b) menstrual disorders via the NHS online hospital can be referred efficiently to in-person specialist services when needed.

NHS Online will be a new, optional online service allowing patients to digitally connect with clinicians across England. When a patient is referred to NHS Online, should a consultation be required, they will see the next available specialist, who may be anywhere in the country. For patients who are diagnosed with menopause or menstrual disorders conditions, where the NHS Online clinician determines that in-person specialist services are the appropriate treatment, they will be transferred to appropriate local services, including in-person specialist care.Patients will always have the choice of face-to-face appointments, and those who need physical examinations or procedures will continue to receive them either at hospital or local hubs nearby. If a patient displays more complex symptoms after the original referral to NHS Online, then they can be referred back on to a more traditional pathway.

What estimate his Department has made of the workforce required to provide specialist women’s health services through the NHS online hospital.

Analysis shows that the anticipated workforce available to provide women’s health services through the NHS online hospital, provides enough capacity to meet the demand for the service in the first three years.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the NHS online hospital on levels of regional variation in gynaecology waiting times.

Women’s health issues, including severe menopause symptoms and menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis, fibroids, polycystic ovary syndrome, adenomyosis, or pelvic infection, will be among the conditions available for referral to NHS Online from 2027.NHS Online will be unconstrained by geographical boundaries, able to better align clinical capacity with patient demand, and will help tackle deep rooted inequalities in the healthcare system by ending the postcode lottery of care and waiting times, including for women’s health issues. Once referred by their general practitioner, patients can be seen quickly by National Health Service specialists online. Remote consultations, follow-ups, and condition management can be delivered digitally. Streamlined pathways will shorten delays between referral and treatment and help patients start their care sooner.NHS Online will help to reduce patient waiting times, delivering the equivalent of up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years, four times more than an average trust, while enhancing patient choice and control over their care.NHS Online is undertaking a detailed equality health impact assessment to assess the impacts of the service, and is working with patients and carers to ensure that these are addressed. Patient choice remains central to care. NHS Online will enhance patient choice with in-person care always available for those who prefer and for those whose care needs require it.Before NHS Online goes live, the NHS will learn from existing research on patient experience of online care over the last five years and build it into the programme as it develops. The programme is being developed with a commitment to patient partnership in design and delivery. We will be working with marginalised groups, including through the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise sector, which represents communities who share protected characteristics or that experience health inequalities, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/hwalliance/Inclusion will be a core priority as the organisation evolves.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the NHS online hospital on women’s health inequalities.

Women’s health issues, including severe menopause symptoms and menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis, fibroids, polycystic ovary syndrome, adenomyosis, or pelvic infection, will be among the conditions available for referral to NHS Online from 2027.NHS Online will be unconstrained by geographical boundaries, able to better align clinical capacity with patient demand, and will help tackle deep rooted inequalities in the healthcare system by ending the postcode lottery of care and waiting times, including for women’s health issues. Once referred by their general practitioner, patients can be seen quickly by National Health Service specialists online. Remote consultations, follow-ups, and condition management can be delivered digitally. Streamlined pathways will shorten delays between referral and treatment and help patients start their care sooner.NHS Online will help to reduce patient waiting times, delivering the equivalent of up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years, four times more than an average trust, while enhancing patient choice and control over their care.NHS Online is undertaking a detailed equality health impact assessment to assess the impacts of the service, and is working with patients and carers to ensure that these are addressed. Patient choice remains central to care. NHS Online will enhance patient choice with in-person care always available for those who prefer and for those whose care needs require it.Before NHS Online goes live, the NHS will learn from existing research on patient experience of online care over the last five years and build it into the programme as it develops. The programme is being developed with a commitment to patient partnership in design and delivery. We will be working with marginalised groups, including through the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise sector, which represents communities who share protected characteristics or that experience health inequalities, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/hwalliance/Inclusion will be a core priority as the organisation evolves.