Written questions by Brewer.

What steps he is taking to help improve the effectiveness of the internal NHS complaints system.

Patients have the right to complain about any aspect of National Health Service care, treatment, or service. The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 set out the minimum standards NHS organisations must adhere to in respect of their complaint handling arrangements.The Department has worked closely with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on their work to develop the NHS Complaint Standards, which set out how organisations providing services in the NHS should approach complaint handling. The standards place a strong focus on several key aspects of complaint handling and set out practical advice and good practice to help NHS organisations improve.In addition to these arrangements, the Care Quality Commission has an important role in ensuring NHS providers have an effective and accessible system for handling complaints from service users.

What steps his Department is taking to improve (a) diagnoses, (b) treatment options and (c) support for people living with chronic urinary tract infections; and whether he plans to increase levels of funding for research into (i) alternative therapies, (ii) phage therapy and (iii) advanced drug delivery methods to combat antimicrobial resistance.

Support for those affected by chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) is locally led and commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs) to meet the needs of their local populations. NHS England is supporting research and working with industry to horizon scan for new innovations in point-of-care tests for diagnosing UTIs, to better guide treatment options. The importance of ensuring rapid, accurate diagnostic testing is available to guide effective antibiotic use is highlighted in the policy paper, Confronting antimicrobial resistance 2024 to 2029, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-5-year-action-plan-for-antimicrobial-resistance-2024-to-2029/confronting-antimicrobial-resistance-2024-to-2029The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Over the past five years, the NIHR has allocated a total of over £20 million to the development of new antibiotics and alternative therapies. The Department has a large anti-microbial resistance (AMR) research portfolio, with over £88 million invested over the last five years in NIHR research programme funding for AMR. Building on previous NIHR funding, a dedicated NIHR Health Protection Research Unit on healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance recently launched with funding increased to £11 million over the next five years.The policy paper also acknowledges the potential of alternative therapies, including bacteriophage (phage) therapy, in combating AMR. The Government continues to engage with phage researchers and industry stakeholders, including the Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Network Phage Innovation Network, chaired by the UK Health Security Agency. By fostering research, adapting regulations, and engaging key stakeholders, the United Kingdom is working to unlock the potential of phage therapy in the fight against AMR.

What assessment he has made of the estimated cost to the public purse of maintenance on Basingstoke Hospital before its rebuild in 2037.

National Health Service trusts are responsible for maintaining their estates using their annual capital allocations, including surveying facilities and estimating future maintenance costs.The Government is backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital and £750 million for estates safety in 2025/26, enabling systems to allocate funding according to local priorities, including maintenance at New Hospital Programme sites. In 2025/26, the Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Integrated Care System (ICS) had been provisionally allocated £118.2 million in operational capital, including primary care business as usual capital, and £21.3 million for estates safety. The Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is encouraged to engage with the ICS to explore options to allocate the 2025/26 operational capital and national capital programme allocations towards maintenance needs at Basingstoke Hospital. The current Spending Review concluding in June 2025 will determine capital funding levels for future years, and will consider the needs of the NHS estate.

What steps he is taking to ensure that levels of adult social care funding are adequate to (a) meet care requirements, (b) support people at risk of being placed into residential homes and (c) ensure quality of life.

To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.This is alongside an £86 million uplift to the Disabled Facilities Grant to support an approximate additional 7,800 adaptations to homes for those with social care needs, to reduce hospitalisations and prolong independence.Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, they are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people.

What plans his Department has for ministerial visits to hospitals in Hampshire.

Ministers regularly consider visits across the country to see the impact of their policy areas. Any plans to visit specific locations will be notified to the relevant Members of Parliament in advance.

What steps he is taking to ensure that there are adequate numbers of specialty training places for junior doctors who have completed foundation years one and two; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the number of specialty medical training places available is adequate to provide for future increases in numbers of university medical school places.

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.To reform the NHS and make it fit for the future, we have launched a 10-Year Health Plan as part of the Government’s five long-term missions. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the capacity of spaces in the Overseas Registration Exam for dentists residing in the UK.

The Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) exam is operated by the General Dental Council (GDC). The GDC is independent of Government.It is the role of the GDC to approve eligibility criteria for the ORE. There are no restrictions on accessing the exam based on the residency status of the candidate.The GDC is working to put new ORE provider contracts in place in 2025 which will increase the flexibility and availability of the exam, further expanding capacity. Officials will continue to discuss the new arrangements with the GDC and monitor their progress. I am due to meet with the GDC after Easter recess.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce mental health waiting times; and whether he plans to set specific targets to ensure that people in full time work receive timely access to therapy and specialist support.

It is unacceptable that too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long. We are determined to change that by improving mental health care across the spectrum of need.As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to cut wait times and provide faster treatment.We are meeting the constitutional waiting time standards we have in place for the two mental health pathways: NHS Talking Therapies for common mental health conditions, and Early Intervention in Psychosis. We also have targets for eating disorder services for children and young people. Despite the challenging fiscal environment, the Government has chosen to prioritise 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.Since 2023, NHS England began to publish data for the first time on the number of people waiting for mental health services, in line with the Clinical Review of Standards for mental health.

What steps he is taking to ensure that NHS Integrated Care Boards provide community-based ear wax removal services.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission cost-effective healthcare to meet the needs of their local population. This includes the arrangement of ear wax removal services.Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) due to the risks associated with it, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection, so general practitioners (GPs) will often recommend home treatment remedies to alleviate ear wax build-up.However, in line with the NICE’s guidance, a person may require ear wax removal treatment if the build-up of earwax is linked with hearing loss. A GP could then consider referring the patient into audiology services, which ICBs are responsible for commissioning.

What steps he is taking to (a) increase social care funding and (b) support local authorities with increases in demand for care services in North East Hampshire constituency.

To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.The additional funding available to Hampshire in 2025/26 means that they will see an increase to their core spending power of up to 6.7% in cash terms.

What assessment he has made of (a) the proportion of babies and families who require specialist parent-infant relationship and infant mental health support and (b) the availability of services to meet that need.

The 1,001 days from conception to two years old is a time of rapid development in which babies are shaped by their experiences, particularly the relationships with their caregivers.The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. Through the Plan for Change we have committed to ensuring every child is set up for the best start in life through delivering accessible, integrated maternity, baby and family support services through the 1,001 days from conception to two years old. As a first step, in January 2025, we announced £126 million for the continuation of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 2025/26. This includes £36.5 million for bespoke perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support in 75 local authority areas with high levels of deprivation.Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Services are also available to all women throughout England with or at risk of mental health conditions, who are planning a pregnancy, pregnant or have a baby up to two years old. This care includes increased access to evidence-based psychological therapies that support parent-infant relationships.We have not made an assessment on the proportion of babies and families who require specialist parent-infant relationship support. We will continue to evaluate the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme and assess evidence to support wider rollout, including bespoke parent-infant relationship support services, in future financial years.

What plans the Government have to ensure specialist parent-infant relationship and infant mental health support is available across England.

The 1,001 days from conception to two years old is a time of rapid development in which babies are shaped by their experiences, particularly the relationships with their caregivers.The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. Through the Plan for Change we have committed to ensuring every child is set up for the best start in life through delivering accessible, integrated maternity, baby and family support services through the 1,001 days from conception to two years old. As a first step, in January 2025, we announced £126 million for the continuation of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 2025/26. This includes £36.5 million for bespoke perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support in 75 local authority areas with high levels of deprivation.Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Services are also available to all women throughout England with or at risk of mental health conditions, who are planning a pregnancy, pregnant or have a baby up to two years old. This care includes increased access to evidence-based psychological therapies that support parent-infant relationships.We have not made an assessment on the proportion of babies and families who require specialist parent-infant relationship support. We will continue to evaluate the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme and assess evidence to support wider rollout, including bespoke parent-infant relationship support services, in future financial years.

What assessment his Department has made of the (a) safety and (b) regulation of (i) snus and (ii) nicotine pouches.

Oral tobacco, otherwise known as snus, has been banned in the United Kingdom and the European Union since 1992. All tobacco products are harmful to health, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer has determined that smokeless tobacco is carcinogenic to humans. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill re-enacts the existing ban in a way that is more comprehensive, clearer, and more accessible for the relevant parties, such as retailers and enforcement agencies. We have no intention of allowing a banned and harmful product into the UK market.There is currently limited research and evidence into the harms of nicotine pouches. However, they are never recommended for children. Nicotine, the active ingredient in pouches, is a highly addicted drug, and we have a duty to protect children and young people from future harm and addiction. Advice on the health impacts of nicotine can be found on the Talk to Frank website, which is available at the following link:https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/nicotineThat is why, through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are banning the advertisement and sponsorship of these products, introducing age of sale restrictions to 18 years old for nicotine pouches, banning free samples, and providing powers to restrict packaging, flavours, and point of sale displays.Whilst the use of nicotine pouches is currently low among adults, it is increasingly popular with younger male audiences. We will continue to monitor the use of these products and will update public health guidance and messaging accordingly.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to National Insurance employer contributions on hospices in North East Hampshire constituency.

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, enabling the Spending Review settlement of £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.The employer National Insurance contribution rise will be implemented in April 2025, and planning guidance published on 30 January 2025 sets out the funding available to integrated care boards and the overall approach to funding providers in the next financial year. It considers a variety of pay and non-pay factors and pressures on the providers of secondary healthcare, including charitable hospices.  Further information on the planning guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance/We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England, to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.We are pleased to confirm that the Government has released the first £25 million tranche of the £100 million of capital funding, with Hospice UK kindly allocating and distributing the money to hospices throughout England. An additional £75 million will be available from April 2025.In addition, I recently met the major palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, and long-term sector sustainability, within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan, was discussed at length.

Whether he has taken steps to introduce the measurement of infant head circumference to existing health visits since his meeting with Harry’s Hydrocephalus Awareness Trust on 6 November 2024; and w

It is vitally important that babies are diagnosed as early as possible, so treatment can be provided. Current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance recommends measuring the head circumference of babies in the first week, at app...

What account his review of the frequency of infant head measurements will take of (a) research by Harry’s Hydrocephalus Awareness Trust and (b) the experience of other developed countries.

It is vitally important that babies are diagnosed as early as possible, so treatment can be provided. Current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance recommends measuring the head circumference of babies in the first week, at app...