Written questions by Wilkinson.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure new GP surgeries are included as part of strategic housing developments.

The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and this means we require world class NHS infrastructure across the entire NHS estate. Beyond hospitals, we know we need the right infrastructure in the right places to deliver on our commitments of creating a true Neighbourhood Health Service and ensuring that patients receive the care they deserve.We are aware of the additional demand and challenges placed upon primary care infrastructure by significant housing developments. The Department of Health and Social Care has worked closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government to address this issue in the recently published updated National Planning Policy Framework, clearly outlining the importance of health infrastructure. The Department of Health and Social Care will continue to work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government on updating guidance and ensuring that all new and existing developments have an adequate level of healthcare infrastructure.The relevant integrated care board is responsible for deciding how the NHS budget for its area is spent, and allocates funding according to local priorities. Any further support for NHS organisations will be set out at the Autumn Spending Review.

If he will make it his policy to publish A&E waiting times by department rather than by Trust.

Information on accident and emergency waiting times is published at a provider level, and is also disaggregated by the type of accident and emergency department, for instance type 1, 2, or 3.

Whether his Department plans to undertake a national audit of care needs.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. Where individuals do not meet the eligibility threshold, they can get support from their local authority to make their own arrangements for care services, as set out in the Care Act 2014.The Government is committed to building a consensus on the long-term reform needed to build a National Care Service that meets the needs of older people and working age disabled adults.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of waiting times for accessing services through the NHS Continuing healthcare programme on patient outcomes; what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Liaison Care on those waiting times; and what further steps his Department is taking to improve waiting times for the NHS Continuing healthcare programme.

Statutory guidance and assurance regimes are in place so that people are assessed and receive care in a timely way. For example, NHS England’s assurance standard requires that integrated care boards (ICBs) must ensure that in more than 80% of cases proceeding to a full assessment of eligibility, the eligibility decision should be made within 28 days of being notified of potential NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) eligibility. Nationally, 72% of referrals were completed within 28 days during July to September 2024.Once an individual has been referred for a full assessment of NHS CHC eligibility, the ICB is responsible for coordinating the process until the eligibility decision has been made. The ICB should identify a coordinator who may be either from the ICB or an external organisation. An individual should not be left without appropriate support while they await the outcome of the assessment and decision-making process.