Written questions by Evans.

Whether he has had discussions with NHS Digital on reducing overprescribing.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had any discussions with these organisations related to reducing overprescribing.The National Health Service and partner organisations are responding to the challenge of overprescribing, as set out in the Government’s review of overprescribing, Good for you, good for us, good for everybody, in September 2021.Progress has been made to implement the recommendations of that review, for example:- implementing the National Medicines Optimisation Opportunities for integrated care boards;- addressing problematic polypharmacy, when there is potential harm associated with taking multiple medicines;- delivering Structured Medication Reviews; and- publication of a repeat prescribing toolkit and oversupply dashboard to support general practices to identify oversupply and improve repeat prescribing processes.Offering treatments that are not medicines is also key to addressing overprescribing. Many other initiatives delivered across the NHS contribute towards this. These include delivery of personalised care and shared decision-making, NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression, and social prescribing.We are continuing to address issues with the prescribing of medicines in line with the NHS’ 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance.

Whether he has had discussions with the National Institute for Health Research on reducing overprescribing.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had any discussions with these organisations related to reducing overprescribing.The National Health Service and partner organisations are responding to the challenge of overprescribing, as set out in the Government’s review of overprescribing, Good for you, good for us, good for everybody, in September 2021.Progress has been made to implement the recommendations of that review, for example:- implementing the National Medicines Optimisation Opportunities for integrated care boards;- addressing problematic polypharmacy, when there is potential harm associated with taking multiple medicines;- delivering Structured Medication Reviews; and- publication of a repeat prescribing toolkit and oversupply dashboard to support general practices to identify oversupply and improve repeat prescribing processes.Offering treatments that are not medicines is also key to addressing overprescribing. Many other initiatives delivered across the NHS contribute towards this. These include delivery of personalised care and shared decision-making, NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression, and social prescribing.We are continuing to address issues with the prescribing of medicines in line with the NHS’ 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance.

Whether he has had discussions with the Royal College of General Practice on reducing overprescribing.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had any discussions with these organisations related to reducing overprescribing.The National Health Service and partner organisations are responding to the challenge of overprescribing, as set out in the Government’s review of overprescribing, Good for you, good for us, good for everybody, in September 2021.Progress has been made to implement the recommendations of that review, for example:- implementing the National Medicines Optimisation Opportunities for integrated care boards;- addressing problematic polypharmacy, when there is potential harm associated with taking multiple medicines;- delivering Structured Medication Reviews; and- publication of a repeat prescribing toolkit and oversupply dashboard to support general practices to identify oversupply and improve repeat prescribing processes.Offering treatments that are not medicines is also key to addressing overprescribing. Many other initiatives delivered across the NHS contribute towards this. These include delivery of personalised care and shared decision-making, NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression, and social prescribing.We are continuing to address issues with the prescribing of medicines in line with the NHS’ 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance.

What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the numbers of GP training places in the last five years

The number of general practice (GP) training places for the past four years has been 4,001. From September 2025, we are increasing GP training places to 4,500 as part of a broader plan to expand training further by 2031. This increase is part of a larger National Health Service workforce plan to address projected GP shortages.This increase in GP training places will help to grow the number of appointments delivered by GPs and will benefit thousands of patients. It will also secure the future supply of GPs and take pressure off those currently working in the system.We are investing an additional £889 million in GPs to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade, and we are pleased that the General Practitioners Committee England is supportive of the contract changes. Alongside the 2025/26 GP contract announcement, the Government has also committed to reform of the GP contract within this Parliament.The changes to the contract will improve services for patients and make progress towards the Government’s Health Mission, supporting the three key shifts the Government wants to achieve, from analogue to digital, from sickness to prevention, and from hospital to community care. The following table shows the number of accepted GP training places in September of each year, from 2021 to 2025:DateAccepted training placesSeptember 20254,250September 20244,001September 20234,001September 20224,001September 20214,001 From June 2021 to June 2025, there has also been an increase of 2,475 GPs in the training stage. The following table shows the number of GPs in training grade in June of each year, from 2021 to 2025:DateGPs in training gradeJune 20259,450June 20249,371June 20238,847June 20227,890June 20216,975

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Boost to mental health services from thousands of extra staff, published on 27 June 2025, what roles those 6,700 mental health workers have been recruited to.

NHS England publishes monthly data on the National Health Service Hospital and Community Health Service (HCHS) workforce in England. This includes data on the NHS mental health workforce employed by NHS provider trusts and integrated care boards. The press release presented the change in workforce between the 30 June 2024 baseline and the data for 30 April 2025.Within the NHS Monthly Workforce Statistics series, data on the mental health workforce is included in the file titled Preliminary – NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Trusts and core organisations – data tables, April 2025, available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics/march-2025Tab 21 within the file information on the mental health workforce is broken down by staff groups, showing how the total has increased over time.The definition of the HCHS mental health workforce includes those who are providing or supporting the provision of mental health services. Staff are included if they have either an NHS Occupation Code or Area of Work code that is related to mental health services. Further information on the mental health workforce definition, including a list of the relevant Occupation Code and Area of Work variables, can be found on the National Workforce Data Set guidance page, at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-tools-and-services/data-services/mental-health-data-hub/dashboards/mental-health-and-learning-disabilities-workforce-in-the-nhs

What recent progress he has made on implementing fracture liaison services in all parts of the country by 2030.

Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local need.Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of NHS roles for newly-trained GPs.

The Government has invested £82 million in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), which has enabled the recruitment of more than 1,900 recently qualified general practitioners (GPs) in England since October. This will increase the number of available appointments, secure the future supply of GPs, and alleviate the pressure on those currently working in the system.Under recently announced changes to the GP contract in 2025/26, the ARRS will become more flexible to allow primary care networks to respond better to local workforce needs. The two ARRS pots have been combined to create a single pot for the reimbursement of patient-facing staff costs. There will be no restrictions on the number or type of staff covered, including GPs.On 27 February, the Government and the British Medical Association agreed to the changes to the GP contract to fix the ‘front door’ of the National Health Service and bring back the family doctor. We are investing an additional £889 million in GPs for 2025/26, bringing total spend on the GP contract to £13.2 billion. This is the largest uplift to GP funding since the beginning of the five-year framework, and means we are reversing recent trends by allocating a rising share of NHS resources to GPs.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of Designated Prescribing Practitioners for all foundation pharmacists starting their training in 2025.

Every foundation trainee pharmacist that has graduated against the 2021 standards for the initial education and training of pharmacists will require a Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP), a healthcare professional with independent prescribing rights, for example, a doctor, pharmacist, or nurse, during their foundation training period to support the supervision and assessment of prescribing activities. Under the terms of the Foundation Trainee Pharmacists National Recruitment Scheme, training providers are required to ensure that the trainee will have access to a DPP. Providers are also required to submit details of the DPP to NHS England once the trainee pharmacist commences in post. Trainee pharmacists in England start their foundation training in the 2025/26 year in two windows: 14 July 2025 to 4 August 2025, summer; and 20 October 2025 to 10 November 2025, autumn. To support the development of DPP capacity, NHS England continues to engage with training providers and invest in training for independent prescribers. From September 2026, all newly qualified pharmacists will be independent prescribers on the day of their registration, which will expand future availability of healthcare professionals who are qualified to become a DPP.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 60209 on Carers, what the outcomes were of the cross-Government meeting.

Unpaid carers play a vital role and can access support from adult and children’s social care and the National Health Service, as well as through benefits, employers, schools, colleges, and universities. However, we know that too often systems are disjointed, difficult to navigate, and don’t appropriately identify and communicate with carers.The Government is determined to work together to provide carers of all ages with the recognition and support they deserve.Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Business and Trade, and the Department for Education have convened twice this year to discuss support for unpaid carers and consider opportunities to provide further recognition and support. These are early meetings of a group exploring further ways in which carers can be supported, and as such it does not have a statutory remit.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 60209 on Carers, whether the cross-Government meeting has a statutory remit.

Unpaid carers play a vital role and can access support from adult and children’s social care and the National Health Service, as well as through benefits, employers, schools, colleges, and universities. However, we know that too often systems are disjointed, difficult to navigate, and don’t appropriately identify and communicate with carers.The Government is determined to work together to provide carers of all ages with the recognition and support they deserve.Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Business and Trade, and the Department for Education have convened twice this year to discuss support for unpaid carers and consider opportunities to provide further recognition and support. These are early meetings of a group exploring further ways in which carers can be supported, and as such it does not have a statutory remit.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 60209 on Carers, on how many occasions there has been a cross-Government meeting since July 2024.

Unpaid carers play a vital role and can access support from adult and children’s social care and the National Health Service, as well as through benefits, employers, schools, colleges, and universities. However, we know that too often systems are disjointed, difficult to navigate, and don’t appropriately identify and communicate with carers.The Government is determined to work together to provide carers of all ages with the recognition and support they deserve.Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Business and Trade, and the Department for Education have convened twice this year to discuss support for unpaid carers and consider opportunities to provide further recognition and support. These are early meetings of a group exploring further ways in which carers can be supported, and as such it does not have a statutory remit.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 60209 on Carers, who attends the cross-Government meetings.

Unpaid carers play a vital role and can access support from adult and children’s social care and the National Health Service, as well as through benefits, employers, schools, colleges, and universities. However, we know that too often systems are disjointed, difficult to navigate, and don’t appropriately identify and communicate with carers.The Government is determined to work together to provide carers of all ages with the recognition and support they deserve.Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Business and Trade, and the Department for Education have convened twice this year to discuss support for unpaid carers and consider opportunities to provide further recognition and support. These are early meetings of a group exploring further ways in which carers can be supported, and as such it does not have a statutory remit.

With reference to p.98 of the document entitled Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, published on 3 July 2025, if he will list the training requirements identified as (a) irritating staff and (b) adding unnecessary burdens staff's working days.

The 10-Year Health Plan set out an action to review the amount of statutory and mandatory training that healthcare professionals are required to undertake. This follows a large national engagement exercise with members of the public and health and care staff. As part of this engagement, members of staff shared their poor experiences of mandatory training, citing that the training can be, repetitive or irrelevant to their role and takes them away from treating patients.The exact amount of statutory and mandatory training completed varies, depending on which organisation they work for, their role or roles, and the frequency of their movement between organisations, for instance resident doctors rotating between organisations may have to repeat some of the training.On average, it is estimated that nationally defined statutory and mandatory training takes up to eight hours or one day per person per year, and locally mandated training will add to this. This considerable investment of time must be balanced against the fact that this training is both important, for instance safety training and emergency preparedness training, and often required by law.

With reference to the 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reducing the share of expenditure on hospital care on his Department's goal for 92 percent of patients to be treated within 18 weeks by 2029.

The Elective Reform Plan (ERP) sets out the reform and productivity efforts needed to achieve the target that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by 2029. The ERP includes several efforts which will see care delivered differently. This includes addressing the challenges in diagnostic waiting times, providing the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests that are needed to reduce elective and cancer waits. We will upgrade the NHS App, so patients can book and rearrange appointments, choose which hospital to be treated at, receive test results, and choose if they want to be seen in person or remotely.The 10-Year Health Plan set out how we will take that further. At present, roughly 80% of all elective care does not require admitted treatment but takes place in outpatient settings, mostly in hospitals. By 2035, two thirds of this care will take place digitally or in the community closer to home, with patients able to access the best of their local hospital in a much more responsive way, such as via a local neighbourhood health centre or at home via digital channels. This will deliver more timely, efficient, and flexible care, which is better for patients and will mean we reduce the numbers joining the waiting lists in the first place.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the delays in issuing (a) remedial pension savings statements and (b) remedial service statements on patient care.

The delays related to remediable service statements should have no direct impact on patient care. The members facing immediate financial consequences from their remedy benefit choice are retired members of the NHS Pension Scheme.We understand from regular conversations with staff representatives that the highest-earning NHS Pension Scheme members have expressed concerns about predicting the tax consequences of taking on overtime prior to receiving a remedial pension savings statement (RPSS). Whilst no assessment has been made of the potential impact of RPSS delays specifically on patient care, there is no clear evidence from National Health Service payroll data that the annual allowance pension tax regime, to which RPSS’ relate, constrains the activity of the consultant workforce in aggregate. A range of factors may influence personal decisions around intentions to take on extra work, making it difficult to measure the unique impact of tax measures or statement delays.From 6 April 2023, the standard annual allowance threshold increased from £40,000 to £60,000, giving individuals scope for greater tax-free pension growth. The tapered annual allowance further restricts the amount of tax-free pension saving available to the very wealthiest in society. The taper applies when taxable earnings reach £200,000.Where NHS Pension Scheme members do incur annual allowance pension tax charges, these do not have to be met in the current tax year. The NHS Pension Scheme offers a Scheme Pays facility through which individuals can ask the scheme to pay the tax on their behalf in exchange for a fair reduction in the generous pension benefits paid at retirement.The NHS Business Services Authority is continuing work to deliver outstanding statements as quickly as possible, and a process is in place for members to self-identify for a prioritised statement.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2025 to Question 28133 NHS Business Services Authority: Workplace Pensions, whether the Pensions regulator has required the NHS Business Services Authority to remedy the (a) errors and (b) delays in NHS pensions.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) is in regular contact with The Pensions Regulator to report on the delivery of the McCloud remedy. They are following all advice, guidance, and recommendations put forward by the regulator.The NHSBSA has taken all available steps to bring in external support to boost its statement production capacity. It has also recruited significant numbers of staff and is reprioritising existing staff to support the implementation of the McCloud remedy. The Pensions Regulator is aware of the proactive measures that the NHSBSA is taking to rectify any previous statements where necessary.

How many and what proportion of remedial pension savings statements (a) remain outstanding and (b) have been issued.

As of 22 July 2025, 108,742 remedial pension savings statements have been issued to NHS Pension Scheme members. 34,404 members either have a statement outstanding or require further calculations to determine whether a statement is needed.

When he expects the outstanding (a) remedial pension savings statements and (b) remedial service statements to be delivered.

We have commissioned the independent Chair of the NHS Pension Scheme Pension Board to lead an urgent and targeted review of the NHS Business Service Authority’s (NHS BSA) revised plans for the delivery of the McCloud remedy for NHS Pension Scheme members. This will provide an additional level of scrutiny and assurance of the NHS BSA’s delivery plan for the remaining statements. A further Written Ministerial Statement will confirm the new timetable once the review has reported.

Whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the recovery pathways for the care of patients who have had a sudden cardiac arrest not related to myocardial infarction.

A cardiac arrest is caused by a dangerous abnormal heart rhythm, which occurs when the heart isn’t working properly and causes the heart to stop beating. Each year approximately 30,000 people receive resuscitation for an out of hospital cardiac arrest in the United Kingdom.Only one in 10 people that have a cardiac arrest survive to go home from hospital. Fast and effective action will help save the lives of people suffering a cardiac arrest, as the chances of survival from a cardiac arrest that occurs out of hospital doubles if the person receives immediate resuscitation or a high energy shock to the heart, known as defibrillation.The National Health Service committed to improving community first response and building defibrillator networks to help save 4,000 lives by 2028. This is being supported by educating the general public, including young people of school age, about how to recognise and respond to an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.NHS England is also working with partners such as the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to harness new technology and ensure the public and emergency services are able to rapidly locate this life saving equipment in an emergency.Patients who survive cardiac arrest and their families are supported through referral to local NHS services, and this will include rehabilitation such as cardiac and neurological rehabilitation and mental health services for psychological support.There are different pathways for cardiac arrest survivors, depending on the severity of the damage caused by the cardiac arrest. For people being discharged from secondary care and those with ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, cardiac rehabilitation services are available in every region.In December 2024, to support local systems to commission high quality cardiac rehabilitation, NHS England published Commissioning standards for cardiac rehabilitation, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/commissioning-standards-for-cardiovascular-rehabilitation/These standards of care complement the British Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation’s Standards and Core Components document, published in 2023, to support the delivery of high-quality care and adherence to evidenced-based practice. Further information on the British Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation’s Standards and Core Components document is available at the following link:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/66cc563eecc7a22020c7da6c/t/66ffa8f20aef5d0b272c6b0e/1728030962905/BACPR+Standards+and+Core+Components+2023.pdfThe national audit for cardiac rehabilitation assesses practices against these standards of care and publishes the results annually, with the 2024 report available at the following link:https://www.cardiacrehabilitation.org.uk/site/docs/NCP_CR%20Certification_Report_2024_Final.pdfNHS England is committed to improving support for cardiac arrest survivor. NHS England has provided additional funding to all ICBs to increase the provision of cardiac rehabilitation across England, where clinically indicated patients can access cardiac rehabilitation following cardiac arrest.For patients with more complex needs it may be appropriate for them to be referred to Level 1 or 2 inpatient specialist services for short term post-acute rehabilitation, which may be followed by specialist rehabilitation in the community as appropriate.Patients and their families may also be signposted to appropriate charities such as the BHF’s Cardiac arrest webpage and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK’s website, with further information available on both, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/cardiac-arresthttps://suddencardiacarrestuk.org/

With reference to the 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, what steps he plans to take to ensure that people who need one will be able to get a same-day GP appointment.

Through our 10-Year Health Plan, it will be easier and faster to see a general practitioner (GP). The 8:00am scramble will end, we will train more doctors, and we will guarantee digital consultations within 24 hours. We have delivered the biggest boost to GP funding in years, an £889 million uplift, with GPs now receiving a growing share of National Health Service resources In October 2024, we invested £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of 1,900 individual GPs into primary care networks across England, which has expanded capacity, and will help to make same-day appointments more available to the patients that need them. The new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 practices across England, enabling more appointments and supporting same-day access.