Every parliamentary written question tabled by Andrew George this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 22 · Department of Health and Social Care
Which sub-processors (a) have been and (b) are expected to be approved for the processing of HSA4 data under the relevant contract; whether that list will be made publicly available; and whether third parties will be granted access for purposes including research, analytics and artificial intelligence model training.
Awaiting answer.
Whether identifiable data from HSA4 abortion notification forms will be stored in structured, searchable form within any Abortion Notification Service data-lake.
Awaiting answer.
What public communications (a) have been issued and (b) are planned to inform women undergoing abortion care that identifiable data will be processed within a new system, including through new analytical infrastructure.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment he has made of the risks associated with making identifiable abortion notification data available within a data-lake environment.
Awaiting answer.
Whether the procurement specification for the Abortion Notification Service was reviewed between First Reading of the relevant legislative clause and the contract signature on 10 March 2026.
Awaiting answer.
Whether privacy notices issued to women undergoing abortion care have been updated to reflect the introduction of new analytical infrastructure and changes to the legal context following the Crime and Policing Act 2026.
Awaiting answer.
Whether he plans to roll out meningitis vaccines more widely to the population following the news of the recent outbreak in Kent.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an expert scientific advisory committee that advises the United Kingdom Government on eligibility for vaccination and immunisation programmes. The JCVI has been consulted on the immediate vaccine response to the outbreak and clinical effectiveness of potential future outbreak response vaccination strategies.On 17 March, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, also announced to the House of Commons that he would ask the JCVI to review eligibility for meningococcal B vaccination. The JCVI will conduct a full assessment of the cost-effectiveness of a routine adolescent meningococcal B vaccination programme and provide a complete and formal response to my Rt. Hon. Friend as soon as practicable.
What steps he is taking to ensure that (a) clinical leadership and (b) specialist networks currently hosted by NHS England are maintained during and after its abolition.
Clinical leaders and networks of specialists across the country play a vital role in providing advice, catalysing change, and improving care. Following the announcement that NHS England will be abolished as an arm’s length body and replaced by a new Department of Health and Social Care, work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and to plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilities.The new Department will operate in a leaner, more agile, and more efficient way and will empower staff at all levels of the health system, including local clinical systems, to deliver better care for patients, drive productivity up, and get waiting times down. This change will set local National Health Service providers free to innovate, develop new productive ways of working, and focus on what matters most.A new Joint Executive Structure came into effect on 3 November, providing unified leadership across the Department and NHS England to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan and oversee the transition to a single, integrated Department. The executive structure includes the Chief Medical Officer, national medical directors, and the Chief Nursing Officer, and they will play a key role in ensuring that the right infrastructure is in place to provide clinical leadership and advice.
What steps will be taken to avoid disruption to frontline services (a) during and (b) after the abolition of NHS England.
Our commitment to the delivery of frontline services for patients underpins the transformation. We will simplify the National Health Service and remove layers of unnecessary bureaucracy, which will allow us to reinvest more into the frontline, so patients receive safe, timely care and are heard and listened to.It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, and we will do this throughout. Ongoing assessment is part of the reform programme and evidence collected will inform the programme as appropriate and ensure our decisions focus on improving patient care. The Government is committed to transparency and will consider how best to ensure the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcome.
If he will publish a formal impact assessment on the abolition of NHS England to include assessment of (a) patient safety risks during the transition, (b) impact on delivery of (i) the 10-year plan and (ii) ongoing programmes and (c) (A) redundancy costs, (B) projected savings and (C) other financial implications.
The Government is committed to transparency and evidence-based policy making. In line with established best practice for impact assessments, we will publish proportionate assessments to support these reforms. Where appropriate, assessments will be published alongside relevant consultations or decisions to enable scrutiny by Parliament and the public. These will be proportionate to the scale of the reform, and will support decision-making with clear evidence, analysis of options, and consideration of affected groups. Financial information, including any redundancy costs, projected savings, and other material implications, will be disclosed in line with Government reporting requirements and transparency commitments.
What his planned timetable is for publication of a formal impact assessment on the abolition of NHS England.
We will publish an impact assessment as part of the material to accompany the required primary legislation which will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows. Work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and to plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilities. It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. These ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate.The Government is committed to transparency and will consider how best to ensure that the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes.
What estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) nurses and (b) other healthcare professionals exposed to hazardous medicinal products.
The Department has not made an estimate of the number of (a) nurses and (b) other healthcare professionals exposed to hazardous medicinal products.Any incidents involving staff exposure to hazardous medical products are reported and handled through local National Health Service body reporting procedures. Risk assessments should be undertaken routinely and mitigations put in place to minimise any environmental exposure to health care professionals (and others) relating to “hazardous medicinal products”.
What research his Department has commissioned on (a) reproductive health incomes and (b) other long-term health effects of occupational exposure to hazardous medicinal products among nursing staff; and what assessment he has made of the costs to the NHS of sickness absence related to such exposure.
The Government has not commissioned any research on the reproductive health outcomes or long-term health effects of the occupational exposure of nursing staff to hazardous medicinal products. No assessment has been made of the cost to the National Health Service of sickness absence related to this.Sickness absence is managed at an organisational level across the NHS. NHS organisations have their own policies and procedures in place to manage and reduce sickness absence, including any reasonable adjustments to allow people to return to work and/or prevent future absence. It is important that employers across the NHS take a preventative and proactive approach to supporting their staff and keeping them healthy.
Whether his Department plans to maintain an NHS England commissioned specialist sarcoma service for people in Cornwall under the Peninsula Soft Tissue Sarcoma Service at the Royal Cornwall Treliske Hospital in Truro.
The Peninsula Soft Tissue Sarcoma Service continues to provide cancer care to patients suspected of having or having been diagnosed with sarcoma at sites across Devon and Cornwall, including in the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro (RCHT). However, RCHT has notified NHS England that it is unable to continue to provide the commissioned service in its entirety due to consultant workforce issues that it has been unable to resolve.NHS England recognises the concerns of sarcoma patients locally, and discussions are ongoing to agree a sustainable future service model. Further information will be shared in due course.
What steps NHS England plans to take to maintain access to the Peninsula Soft Tissue Sarcoma Service in Cornwall.
The Peninsula Soft Tissue Sarcoma Service continues to provide cancer care to patients suspected of having or having been diagnosed with sarcoma at sites across Devon and Cornwall, including in the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro (RCHT). However, RCHT has notified NHS England that it is unable to continue to provide the commissioned service in its entirety due to consultant workforce issues that it has been unable to resolve.NHS England recognises the concerns of sarcoma patients locally, and discussions are ongoing to agree a sustainable future service model. Further information will be shared in due course.
What steps he is taking to help ensure that workforce planning maintains the full complement of (a) staffing and (b) skills needed to deliver the highly specialised sarcoma services commissioned by NHS England commissions across all fifteen Specialist Sarcoma Centres in England.
The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, including for the delivery of cancer services. The plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it, including for patients with sarcoma. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.Cancer Alliances are a valuable part of how we transform and improve cancer services across the country. The way that alliances work with primary care, trusts, and integrated care boards (ICBs) across their geography, as well as charity and other partners, gives them a unique perspective on the workforce. ICBs and trusts have primary responsibility for the workforce, but alliances can bring together expertise from across these different ICBs and trusts to deliver new training where there are specific skill gaps, championing the introduction of new roles, or transforming the way people or pathways work to improve productivity.
Whether his Department has carried out an (a) impact, (b) equality, (c) risk and (d) other assessment of the proposed abolition of local Healthwatch organisations.
The abolition of local Healthwatch arrangements requires primary legislation which would be included in a Bill before Parliament. Timing of this is subject to the will of Parliament and will happen when parliamentary time allows.A full impact assessment would be produced in line with HM Treasury's Green Book standards and published on the Government website when legislation is introduced in Parliament. No assessments have been made at this time, although the expertise of Dr Penny Dash and her critical review of patient safety will continue to guide the Government’s policy in this regard.
What assessment she has made of NHS and UKHSA laboratory surge capacity for testing suspected human infections with avian influenza in 2025–26.
While specific surge-throughput figures for 2025/26 are not published, the Department, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), and NHS England continue to work together to ensure sufficient laboratory capacity, clear escalation routes, and rapid confirmatory testing for suspected human infections.Where avian influenza is clinically suspected, testing is delivered through National Health Service medical microbiology services across England’s pathology networks, with confirmatory testing undertaken within the UKHSA’s laboratory system.The UKHSA is the Government’s standing capability for developing and delivering diagnostic testing for emerging infectious diseases. Molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the primary method for detecting avian influenza A in human samples. Building on the capability scaled during the COVID-19 response, much of the PCR infrastructure, such as analyser platforms and containment spaces, and some of the workforce resilience has been retained across NHS laboratories, with further efforts under way to enhance resilience specifically within the UKHSA’s laboratory network, some of which are shared facilities with the NHS.The UKHSA is currently developing additional capacity at Porton Down and other UKHSA laboratories. This aims to surge capacity to 25,000 PCR tests per day within a six-week timeframe. The UKHSA also has 47,600 multiplex lateral flow device tests available, which test for influenza A, influenza B, and COVID-19, with a further stock of 49,950 undergoing quality control.
What guidance her Department has issued on (a) PPE, (b) testing and (c) post-exposure prophylaxis for workers exposed to animals infected with avian influenza; and whether she plans to provide financial support for workers required to self-isolate following exposure.
The latest guidance for those exposed to birds or other animals with influenza A(H5) was published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on 28 August 2025. It includes consideration of personal protective equipment (PPE), testing, and post-exposure prophylaxis, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-managing-human-exposures-to-incidents-in-birds-or-animals/guidance-for-the-management-of-people-exposed-to-birds-or-other-animals-infected-with-influenza-ah5The UKHSA’s guidance refers to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance document about avoiding the risk of infection when working with poultry that is suspected of having H5 or H7 notifiable avian influenza. This recommends that PPE should be worn at all times when working in a potentially infected environment but does not require self-isolation if an individual is exposed to animals infected with influenza A(H5). The HSE guidance is available at the following link:https://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/assets/docs/aisuspected.pdfInformation on benefits and financial support if someone is temporarily unable to work because they’re ill or self-isolating is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/unable-to-work
What steps her Department is taking to ensure timely public health messaging on avian influenza in coastal tourist areas during periods of increased seabird mortality.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have a range of communication messages ready for use for avian influenza.For coastal tourist areas, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has created guidance relating to wild birds. Guidance relating to reporting dead wild birds is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/report-dead-wild-birdsIn addition, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ guidance on the removal and disposal of dead wild birds is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/removing-and-disposing-of-dead-wild-birds#removing-dead-wild-birds-on-public-land-private-land-and-managed-estatesThe UKHSA has also published broader public health guidance on the general risk, not specific to wild birds, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu-advice-for-the-public-on-staying-safe/avian-influenza-bird-flu-advice-for-the-public-on-staying-safe-by-minimising-contact-with-wild-birdsLand managers and local authorities are also able to use a range of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ communication messages, including posters, to spread these messages, with further information available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu-posters-for-land-managers