Every parliamentary written question tabled by Afzal Khan this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 72 · Department of Health and Social Care
Whether his Department plans to put transitional arrangements in place before the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill comes into force.
The Government does not plan to introduce transitional arrangements ahead of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill coming into force.It is the intention of the Department to commence the bill as soon as we are able, subject to passage through Parliament.
Whether British citizens who have graduated from medical schools outside of the UK will be prioritised for medical training places in the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill.
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill was introduced to Parliament on 13 January 2026. The bill delivers the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, published in July 2025, to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty trainingUnder the bill, British citizens who have graduated from medical schools outside of the UK will not be prioritised for foundation training places, and a graduate from a medical school in the UK or Ireland will not be prioritised if they spent the majority of their time studying outside the British Islands.For specialty training places starting in 2026, NHS experience is being represented by immigration status, as people with a settled immigration status are more likely to have worked in the NHS for longer. The effect of this is that British citizens and those with certain other immigration status will be prioritised. For specialty training posts starting from 2027 onwards, this provision will not apply automatically. Instead, it will be possible to make regulations to specify additional groups who will be prioritised, where they are likely to have significant experience working as a doctor either in the NHS in England, Scotland, or Wales or in health and social care in Northern Ireland, or by reference to their immigration status.
What steps he plans to take to help ensure that respiratory research challenges funded by National Institute for Health and Care Research will help tackle respiratory disease in adults.
The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In the last five financial years it has invested £152 million directly into research funding on respiratory health conditions in adults. In addition, investment through NIHR infrastructure also supports the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality early translational, clinical, and applied health research across a range of research areas. The NIHR Respiratory Translational Research Collaboration is a network of leading universities, National Health Service trusts, and research centres in the United Kingdom who carry out early translational respiratory research. It works with life sciences companies, charities, and other funders to design and deliver complex, multicentre studies that accelerate research to benefit patients. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/about-us/what-we-do/infrastructure/translational-research-collaborations/respiratory
What steps he is taking to tackle health inequalities experienced by people affected by homelessness.
The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain by tackling the structural inequalities that contribute to poor health, particularly for disadvantaged groups, including those experiencing homelessness. We are working with integrated care systems, local authorities, and directors of public health to embed regional and local solutions to reducing inequalities, ensuring communities have the power and resources to improve health outcomes.NICE guideline 214, Integrated health and social care for people experiencing homelessness, sets out clear expectations for services to be accessible and tailored to individual needs. This guideline is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng214/chapter/Recommendations#intermediate-careWe are exploring how best to encourage integrated care boards to adopt and embed this guidance within their commissioning processes.
What steps his Department is taking to improve public confidence in performing CPR on women experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
NHS England runs training sessions on first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and the use of defibrillators both in the community and in schools, under the Restart a Heart programme. This training should help to increase confidence in performing CPR on women. NHS England has trained over 35,800 adults and children in CPR and defibrillation in the last 13 years, and 2,134 this year so far. NHS England delivers the sessions via their resuscitation team and via their community first responders.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the lack of female-form CPR mannequins on survival rates for women experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
The Government is continuing to take action to increase cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) awareness and training, including NHS England leading sessions on first aid, CPR, and the use of defibrillators both in the community and in schools, under the Restart a Heart programme. This training should help to increase confidence in performing CPR on women.NHS England has trained over 35,800 adults and children in CPR and defibrillation in the last 13 years, and 2,134 this year so far. NHS England delivers the sessions via their resuscitation team and via their community first responders.
What progress his Department has made on improving (a) access to, (b) the quality of and (c) the sustainability of palliative care and end of life care for people of all ages through the 10 Year Health Plan, published on 3 July 2025.
Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations.NHS England has also developed a palliative care and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative care and end of life care needs of their local population, enabling ICBs to put plans in place to address and track the improvement of health inequalities, and ensure that funding is distributed fairly, based on prevalence.The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.We will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.Additionally, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Department is investing £3 million in a Policy Research Unit in Palliative and End of Life Care. This unit, launched in January 2024, is building the evidence base on palliative care and end of life care, with a specific focus on inequalities.Whilst the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part charitable hospices play as well. This is why we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.We are also providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. I am pleased to confirm the continuation of this vital funding for the next three financial years, from 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see approximately £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children and young people’s hospices in England each year, via their local ICBs on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.
What steps he is taking to improve (a) levels of access to and (b) the quality of palliative and end of life care across England.
Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populationsNHS England has also developed a palliative care and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative care and end of life care needs of their local population, enabling ICBs to put plans in place to address and track the improvement of health inequalities, and ensure that funding is distributed fairly, based on prevalence.The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.We will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.Additionally, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Department is investing £3 million in a Policy Research Unit in Palliative and End of Life Care. This unit, launched in January 2024, is building the evidence base on palliative care and end of life care, with a specific focus on inequalities.Whilst the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part charitable hospices play as well. This is why we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.We are also providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. I am pleased to confirm the continuation of this vital funding for the next three financial years, from 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see approximately £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children and young people’s hospices in England each year, via their local ICBs on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a national strategy for palliative and end-of-life care.
We recognise the challenges the palliative care and end of life care sector faces. The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.We will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.
What assessment his Department has made of (a) the potential merits of a national public awareness campaign on the health impacts of air pollution and (b) the capacity of his Department to implement such a campaign.
Earlier this year, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), supported by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), published a report and recommendations following a comprehensive Air Quality Information System review to explore ways of improving the provision of air quality information to the public.The review made recommendations for the development of a communications strategy to raise public awareness of air pollution, including the actions that the Government and other public bodies are taking, and the actions that individuals can take to protect their health and reduce their personal contributions to poor air quality.The Department for Health and Social Care is working closely with DEFRA and UKHSA to address the recommendations from the review to help make air quality part of everyday conversations.
What recent estimate his Department has made of the health costs associated with air pollution in Greater Manchester.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published a tool to allow local authorities to estimate the health benefits and cost effectiveness of improved air quality, at a local authority level.The information is not held in the format requested. However, the cost of air pollution tool quantifies the potential costs to the National Health Service and social care due to the health impacts of particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in England and separately for each local authority. The tool and the estimated costs are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/air-pollution-a-tool-to-estimate-healthcare-costs
With reference to Nutrition North’s report entitled Food, Health and Nutrition in the North of England: Inequalities and opportunities published on 22 July 2025, what steps the Department is taking to help tackle (a) poverty and (b) childhood obesity in the North of England.
The Government is committed to supporting people to stay healthier for longer. This includes tackling the determinants that underpin stark health inequalities to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and its commitment to raising the healthiest generation of children in history. The Department is working closely with the Child Poverty Taskforce to develop and deliver an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackle the root causes, and give every child the best start in life. An important part of this will be alleviating the negative experience of living in poverty through supporting families and enhancing public services.The 10-Year Health Plan outlines a range of actions to address childhood obesity. This includes restricting junk food advertising targeted at children, banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16-year-olds, and using our revised National Planning Policy Framework to give local councils stronger powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools. We will work with the Department for Education to update school food standards. To support families, we are expanding free school meals to all children with a parent in receipt of universal credit. By the end of the Parliament, we will introduce mandatory healthy food sales reporting for all large companies in the food sector.Healthy Start is a demand-led, statutory scheme and aims to support those in greatest need. As part of the 10-Year Health Plan we announced that we will uplift the value of weekly payments by 10%, boosting the ability to buy healthy food for those families who need it most. From April 2026, 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 receive £9.30 per week, up from £8.50.The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ regional teams support and work towards the Government’s Opportunity and Health Missions to give children the best start in life. The teams recognise the Food, Health and Nutrition in the North of England report and strive to address the challenges and inequalities our children and young people face in the region. Regional teams work closely with local partners, including local authorities and the National Health Service, to support them with local initiatives to promote a healthy lifestyle and tackle obesity.
What steps his Department is taking to help tackle childhood obesity rates in the North of England.
The Government is committed to supporting people to stay healthier for longer. This includes tackling the determinants that underpin stark health inequalities to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and its commitment to raising the healthiest generation of children in history. The Department is working closely with the Child Poverty Taskforce to develop and deliver an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackle the root causes, and give every child the best start in life. An important part of this will be alleviating the negative experience of living in poverty through supporting families and enhancing public services.The 10-Year Health Plan outlines a range of actions to address childhood obesity. This includes restricting junk food advertising targeted at children, banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16-year-olds, and using our revised National Planning Policy Framework to give local councils stronger powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools. We will work with the Department for Education to update school food standards. To support families, we are expanding free school meals to all children with a parent in receipt of universal credit. By the end of the Parliament, we will introduce mandatory healthy food sales reporting for all large companies in the food sector.Healthy Start is a demand-led, statutory scheme and aims to support those in greatest need. As part of the 10-Year Health Plan we announced that we will uplift the value of weekly payments by 10%, boosting the ability to buy healthy food for those families who need it most. From April 2026, 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 receive £9.30 per week, up from £8.50.The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ regional teams support and work towards the Government’s Opportunity and Health Missions to give children the best start in life. The teams recognise the Food, Health and Nutrition in the North of England report and strive to address the challenges and inequalities our children and young people face in the region. Regional teams work closely with local partners, including local authorities and the National Health Service, to support them with local initiatives to promote a healthy lifestyle and tackle obesity.
If he will commit to increasing the value of the Healthy Start scheme to match the cost of (a) fresh fruit, (b) fresh vegetables, (c) infant formula and (d) other essential items.
Healthy Start is a demand-led, statutory scheme which aims to support those in greatest need. We recently announced in Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan that we will uplift the value of weekly payments by 10%, boosting the ability to buy healthy food for those families who need it most. From April 2026, pregnant women and children aged over one years old and under four years old will each receive £4.65 per week, up from £4.25, and children under one years old will receive £9.30 per week, up from £8.50. The funding for Healthy Start can be used to buy, or be put towards the cost of, fresh, frozen, or tinned fruit and vegetables, fresh, dried, and tinned pulses, milk, and infant formula. Healthy Start beneficiaries are also eligible for free Healthy Start Vitamins.
What steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle health inequalities and (b) help increase life expectancy in Manchester Rusholme constituency.
The Government recognises that the United Kingdom faces significant health inequalities which is why, in the 10-Year Health Plan, we have set out the goal to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions. Through prioritising prevention, expanding community care, and improving access in underserved areas, we will create a fairer Britain where everyone can access quality care, regardless of background, income, or postcode.One example of how we are tackling health inequalities in Manchester is, as announced in January 2025, Manchester City Council receiving approximately £2.12 million in Family Hubs and Start for Life programme funding as part of a £126 million boost for families. This will support our aim of reducing inequalities in health and education outcomes as well as our commitment to giving every child the best start in life.In addition to this, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ North West Regional Team provides system leadership for population health and for reducing health inequalities across the North West. This includes working with local authorities and integrated care systems to develop and deliver population health programmes at a local level, supporting regional NHS England priorities, and long-term planning on prevention and health inequalities.
If he will make it his policy to increase the amount of money available to people using the Healthy Start scheme, in the context of increases in the cost of (a) fruit, (b) vegetables, (c) infant formula and (d) other essential items.
Healthy Start is a demand-led, statutory scheme and aims to support those in greatest need. We recently announced in Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan that we will uplift the value of weekly payments by 10%, boosting the ability to buy healthy food for those families who need it most. From April 2026, pregnant women and children aged over one years old and under four years old will each receive £4.65 per week, up from £4.25, and children under one years old will receive £9.30 per week, up from £8.50.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure access to new medicines for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in England.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE aims, wherever possible, to issue recommendations on new medicines close to the time of licensing. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.NICE is currently evaluating dupilumab for treating moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and itepekimab as an add-on maintenance treatment for moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
What steps his Department is taking to implement benchmarking measures to ensure access to care for people with (a) respiratory conditions and (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in England.
NHS England continues to focus on ensuring that respiratory data is readily available to all regions and systems and to ensuring that there is consistency of data, definitions, and metrics to enable meaningful comparison, monitoring of progress, and to identify population needs.Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) works with professional bodies, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and clinicians to define and co-produce evidence-informed, best-practice clinical pathways and uses data to identify unwarranted operational or clinical variation. It provides data for continuous improvement via the Model Health System and bespoke data packs. Further information on GIRFT’s respiratory best practice guidance is available at the following link:https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/medical_specialties/respiratory/NHS England has established a national respiratory dashboard on the new Federated Data Platform which provides analysis and insight for the National Health Service on a growing range of treatment and outcome measures for respiratory disease. This includes bringing in data from the National Respiratory Audit Programme, a continuous audit of respiratory care co-funded by NHS England which aims to improve the quality of the care, services, and clinical outcomes for patients with respiratory disease across England and Wales. The audit is provided by the Royal College of Physicians and further information can be found on its website, at the following link:https://www.rcp.ac.uk/improving-care/national-clinical-audits/the-national-respiratory-audit-programme-nrap/
Whether his Department has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the industrial strategy on increasing the availability of clinical trials for young people with cancer.
The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including young people with cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.The Department is working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of the medicines and therapies of the future, including for cancer.Through the Life Sciences Sector Plan, the Government has committed to improving the speed and capacity of commercial clinical research, including trials for young people with cancer. This is supported by commitments to invest at scale in discovery science and maximise the United Kingdom’s translational research capacities, accelerating the development of new medicines and technologies, and getting innovative treatments to patients more efficiently.Each action in the Life Sciences Sector Plan includes metrics through which performance can be measured. An annual Implementation Update will transparently summarise progress against both the overarching targets as well as on an action-by-action basis.
What steps her Department is taking to ensure that mental health services are equipped to support autistic women and girls who may present with (a) high anxiety and (b) sensory distress in Manchester Rusholme constituency.
We know that autistic people, including women and girls, can face challenges in accessing mental health services.While it is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including the provision of mental health support for autistic people in Manchester Rusholme, we are taking action to increase awareness and understanding of autism within health and adult social care services. Under the Health and Care Act 2022, providers registered with the Care Quality Commission are required to ensure their staff receive specific training on learning disability and autism appropriate to their role.To support this, we have been rolling out the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism to the health and adult social care workforce. The first part of this training has now been completed by over three million people.NHS England has also rolled out additional training across mental health services. 5,000 trainers have been trained as part of the National Autism Trainer Programme and this training covers autism presentation in women and girls. These trainers will cascade their training to teams across mental health services.NHS England also commissioned the Royal College of Psychiatrists to deliver the National Autism Training Programme for Psychiatrists, with over 300 psychiatrists trained in the past three years.Furthermore, NHS England has published guidance on how to improve the quality, accessibility, and acceptability of care and support for autistic adults to meet their mental health needs, as well as guidance on adaptations of NHS Talking Therapies for autistic people.