Written questions by Heylings.

Whether he plans to announce further steps to help reduce waiting times for mental health treatment.

Nationally, we plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across children and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment. We will also introduce access to a specialist mental health professional in every school and roll out Young Futures hubs in every community.Despite the challenging fiscal environment, the Government has chosen to prioritise the funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement & Support schemes, demonstrating our commitment to addressing the root cause of mental health issues and providing support for people with severe mental illness to contribute to the economy by remaining in or returning to work.In addition, people of all ages who are in crisis or who are concerned about a family or loved one can now call NHS111, select the mental health option, and speak to a trained mental health professional. National Health Service staff can guide callers with next steps such as organising face-to-face community support or facilitating access to alternative services, like crisis cafés or safe havens, which provide a place for people to stay as an alternative to accident and emergency or a hospital admission.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that GPs are able to access their pension information.

NHS Pension Scheme members, including general practitioners (GPs), can access information about their pension via My NHS Pension, an online portal from the NHS Pension Service, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/member-hub/my-nhs-pensionTo provide accurate pension information for practitioners, the NHS Business Services Authority needs a fully up to date record in respect of their NHS Pension Scheme membership. This means practitioners must submit their Annual Certificate(s) of Pensionable Profits to Primary Care Support England (PCSE), so that PCSE can keep their record updated.PCSE launched the PCSE Online GP Pensions system in 2021 to provide GPs and practices with greater convenience, and more transparency and security when it comes to their pension contributions data. Supporting GPs to accurately submit current and historic Type 1 or Type 2 annual certificates remains a priority for NHS England and PCSE. Since the PCSE Online solution for submitting Type 1 and Type 2 certificates electronically went live in 2021, PCSE have developed user guides and held webinars to educate GPs on how to complete forms accurately.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 38182 on LGBT+ People: Fertility, whether his Department plans to remove the requirement for female same sex couples to self-find prior to accessing IVF services on the NHS.

The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues on joint advice from the Department and NHS England about the offer around NHS-funded fertility services, including the issues for female same sex couples.Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. We expect these organisations to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England. The NICE is currently reviewing these guidelines.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandating changes to NHS systems to ensure that it is possible to update the gender marker associated with an NHS number.

Sex and gender identity are not always the same thing, and it is important for patients that we record both accurately. On 20 March 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care instructed the health service to immediately suspend applications for National Health Service number changes for under 18 year olds, to safeguard children. Taking such action does not prevent the NHS from recording, recognising, and respecting trans people’s gender identity. General practitioners are currently able to rename a patient and manually input preferred pronouns and expressed gender in free text without affecting the formal marker.

Whether he plans to increase the level of primary care core funding to help support GP practices to hire more staff.

General practices (GPs) are valued independent contractors who provide over £13 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with the profession about what services GPs provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract, taking account of the cost of delivering services.We are investing an additional £889 million in through the GP Contract 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.The Government also committed to recruiting over 1,000 recently qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment and secure the future pipeline of GPs. Primary care networks (PCNs) can continue to recruit and employ recently qualified GPs through the ARRS in the coming year, as part of the 2025/26 contract.Under the contract changes for 2025/26, the ARRS will become more flexible, to allow PCNs to respond better to local workforce needs. This includes GPs and practice nurses included in the main ARRS funding pot, an uplift of the maximum reimbursable rate for GPs in the scheme, and no caps on the number of GPs that can be employed through the scheme.In a drive to recruit GPs via the ARRS and to bring back the family doctor, the salary element of the maximum reimbursement amount that PCNs can claim for GPs will be increased from £73,113 in 2024/25, the bottom of the salaried GP pay range, to £82,418, an uplift of £9,305, representing the lower quartile of the salaried GP pay range, as some GPs will be entering their second year in the scheme. Proportionate employer on-costs will also be included within the overall maximum reimbursement amount which PCNs will be able to claim.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of closing Long Covid clinics on patients with Post-Covid syndrome.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services for people with long COVID. ICBs are allocated funding by NHS England to meet local need and priorities, and to improve outcomes.NHS England has recently completed a long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), stocktake, aiming to provide a nationwide overview of service delivery in commissioning and contracting, assessing access, activity, and outcomes. The findings confirmed the widely recognised challenges of significant variation in care delivery across England and a lack of comprehensive activity data.Executive NHS England board members were updated on the current provision of long COVID and ME/CFS services, noting those challenges. Discussions considered service prioritisation and potential COVID Inquiry recommendations. It was agreed that long COVID and ME/CFS services are rightly commissioned by ICBs, which have responsibility for ensuring coverage for their population.

What information his Department holds on the number of UK-trained doctors that have emigrated because of high competition ratios in the last three years; and if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the number of those doctors that have emigrated because of high competition ratios.

The Department does not hold the specific data requested. Data from the General Medical Council in 2022 showed that approximately 7% of doctors in England did not hold a licence to practice five years after they completed the foundation programme in 2016. More information is available at the following link: https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/workforce-report-2022---full-report_pdf-94540077.pdf Internationally educated staff remain an important part of the workforce, and our Code of Practice for International Recruitment ensures stringent ethical standards when recruiting health and social care staff from overseas. However, the Government is also committed to growing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join the National Health Service.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve equity of access to CAR-T therapy; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making it available as a first-line treatment for eligible leukaemia patients.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the body responsible for developing independent, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS, based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. The NICE only makes recommendations on medicines within their licensed indications through its technology appraisals programme. There are currently no CAR-T therapies licensed as first-line treatments for leukaemia, and the NICE has therefore not made recommendations on their use at that stage in the treatment pathway.The NICE has evaluated and recommended several CAR-T therapies for blood cancers, including leukaemia, within their licensed indications. CAR-T therapy is available in line with the NICE’s recommendations.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the level of leukaemia cases diagnosed in an emergency setting on (a) patient outcomes and (b) NHS resources.

We recognise the importance of earlier diagnosis of cancer to survival, and we know that patients with cancer who are diagnosed via an emergency route are most likely to have poor survival. Whilst a specific assessment on leukaemia has not been made, we are determined to take all the necessary steps to improve early diagnosis for all cancers, including blood cancers such as leukaemia. To accomplish this, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

What steps he is taking to help improve the level of participation in clinical trials for (a) leukaemia patients diagnosed with acute subtypes and (b) all leukaemia patients.

The Department is committed to maximising our potential to lead the world in clinical trials and ensuring that clinical trials are more accessible.The Department funded National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including clinical research on leukaemia. NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority. These investments are pivotal to informing efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment, and outcomes, including leukaemia research.The NIHR provides an online service called Be Part of Research which promotes participation in health and social care research, including research into leukaemia and the acute subtypes of leukaemia, by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of specialist training opportunities for young doctors; and whether he has plans to increase the availability of these opportunities.

We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.  We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest. We have launched the 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to reform and repair the NHS. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to build the transformed health service we will deliver over the next decade.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase the supply of prescription medicines in (a) rural and (b) other areas.

Integrated care boards are responsible for understanding the health needs of their areas and commissioning services to meet those needs. Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment every three years, to assess whether their population is adequately served, and must keep these assessments under review. These assessments inform integrated care boards when they are reviewing applications for National Health Service pharmacies. The Pharmacy Access Scheme provides additional funding to pharmacies in areas where there are fewer pharmacies. In rural areas where there are no pharmacies, general practices are permitted to dispense medicines. Patients can also choose to access medicines and pharmacy services through any of the nearly 400 NHS online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver prescription medicines free of charge to patients.Medicine supply chains are complex, global, and highly regulated, and there are a number of reasons why supply can be disrupted, many of which are not specific to the United Kingdom and outside of Government control, including manufacturing difficulties, difficulties in access to raw materials, sudden demand spikes or distribution issues, and regulatory issues. We have drawn on up-to-date intelligence and data on the root causes of medicine supply issues, with manufacturing problems being the most dominant root cause.Most supply issues can be managed to avoid shortages, and while we can’t always prevent supply issues from occurring, we have a range of well-established processes and tools to manage them when they arise and mitigate the risks to patients.The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within individual pharmacies is not held centrally.The resilience of UK’s supply chains is a key priority, and the Department and NHS England are committed to helping to build long term supply chain resilience for medicines. We are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues and avoid shortages. The Department, working closely with NHS England, is taking forward a range of actions to improve our ability to mitigate and manage shortages and strengthen our resilience. As part of that work, we continue to engage with industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and other colleagues across the supply chain as we progress work to co-design and deliver solutions.

How the NHS England Consultation on changes to Right to Choose under the NHS Payment Scheme Policy will take into account the views of patients and their families.

NHS England has followed standard procedure in its consultation on the NHS Payment Scheme. A consultation on changes to the payment scheme takes place every year as required to by law. While the legal requirement is to consult commissioners and providers, the views of patients and their families are important and responses are therefore accepted from other interested parties and members of the public. Responses will inform further decisions on the final scheme design.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of NHS England in upholding (a) article 5 and (b) article 6 of the UK's General Data Protection Regulation.

The Department requires all health and care organisations, including NHS England, to annually assess themselves against the standards set out in the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT). The DSPT measures health and care organisations’ data protection and security capability and preparedness. The requirement to comply with Articles 5 and 6 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are embedded in the standards required by the DSPT.NHS England has consistently met the requirements of the DSPT, including its most recent assessment in June 2024.In addition, NHS England provides a safe haven for National Health Service data in accordance with the Department’s statutory guidance, NHS England’s protection of patient data. The guidance ensures that NHS England acts as a safe and effective guardian of information collected from the NHS and adult social care services.As part of its compliance with Article 5 of the UK GDPR, NHS England ensures transparency in its use of personal data by publishing data protection impact assessments and a monthly data uses register that details all external data sharing agreements.

How many and what proportion of continuing care assessments resulted in eligibility in (a) the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board and (b) England in the most recent year for which figures are available.

We have interpreted the request for information regarding continuing care assessments as a request for data on NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) eligibility decisions for standard CHC. The following data is based on the number of assessments completed and the number and proportion found eligible:- from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, 157 assessments out of a total of 638 standard CHC assessments, or 25%, resulted in eligibility in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board area; and- from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, 10,791 assessments out of a total of 51,165 standard CHC assessments, or 21%, resulted in eligibility in England.

If he will review the decrease to the Agenda For Change mileage payments for community nurses that will come in July 2025.

Agenda for Change mileage reimbursement rates are reviewed twice a year in line with the process set out in the national contract. These reviews incorporate the latest information on the cost of fuel. The next review is scheduled for April 2025 and any changes required would then be implemented in July 2025. We cannot pre-empt the outcome of this review, however it does not necessarily mean that changes will be made to the reimbursement rates.The Government is aware that some National Health Service trusts may have local arrangements in place for reimbursing mileage. This would be for local employers and trade unions to manage in partnership.

What steps his Department is taking to increase day care outpatient provision for the treatment of (a) children, (b) young people and (c) adults with eating disorders.

NHS England is refreshing guidance on children and young people's eating disorders, to increase the focus on early identification and intervention and to shift away from inpatient care to community-based care models, including day hospitals/outpatient services.Updated guidance will highlight the importance of improved integration between dedicated community eating disorder services, outpatient day services, wider children and young people's mental health and neurodevelopmental services, schools, colleges and primary care to reduce the need for inpatient stays. The guidance will also improve awareness, provide expert advice and improve support for children and young people presenting with problems with eating, whilst ensuring swift access to specialist support as soon as an eating disorder is suspected.Since April 2021, all integrated care systems have received fair shares funding to transform their adult community mental health services, including eating disorders. NHS England has also published guidance to support systems with implementing intensive day patient care.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for (a) GP referral for assessment, (b) assessment and (c) treatment for patients with eating disorders.

General practice (GP) is the front door to the National Health Service, and we know that patients are struggling to see a GP. We are committed to fixing this and delivering the care that patients deserve. That is why, in October 2024, we provided an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme enabling the recruitment of 1,000 newly qualified GPs across England. This will increase the number of GP appointments delivered, which will benefit thousands of patients seeking access to GP care. We will also bring back the family doctor by incentivising continuity of care so patients can see the same doctor at each appointment, which is key to managing and supporting patients with conditions, including eating disorders.The Department continues to work closely with NHS England to ensure that people with an eating disorder get the care and treatment they need. NHS England is continuing to expand community-based eating disorder services’ capacity. This includes crisis care and intensive home treatment, to improve outcomes and recovery, reduce rates of relapse, prevent eating disorders continuing into adulthood. Also, if admission is required as a very last resort, reduce lengths of stay.

What his planned timetable is for providing national coverage for fracture liaison services.

We remain committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030.In the meantime, we are investing in 13 high-tech bone density DEXA scanners, which are expected to provide an extra 29,000 scans to ensure people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) funding and (b) availability of the Sleepio app for people with insomnia.

There is currently no central funding from NHS England to support the national commissioning of digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia to integrated care boards.Sleepio remains available for local commissioning by integrated care systems, should they choose to commission this product, as part of local insomnia care and treatment pathways.No further assessments relating to the funding or availability of this product at a national level are currently planned.