Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Whether he has stipulated that hospitals in the New Hospital Programme include renewable power.

The New Hospital Programme will ensure that new facilities are designed to minimise their carbon footprint, to help achieve the National Health Service’s commitments to implement net zero by 2040 for the emissions it directly controls, and by 2045 for the emissions it influences. To achieve these targets, local renewable energy will be used to offset some of the energy consumption of buildings. Currently, it is assumed that, where possible, this will come predominantly from photovoltaic panels on the roof. Buildings will be more energy efficient than the current building estate, by using electricity and reducing fossil fuel consumption.The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work across Government to secure investment for on-site renewable energy generation across the acute estate. On 21 March 2025, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced a £100 million partnership with Great British Energy that will increase the NHS’s onsite renewable power capacity by 300%.

What information his Department holds on the number of clinical staff who have been prosecuted in relation to their conduct within the workplace in each year between 2019 and 2024.

The Department does not hold information on the number of clinical staff who have been prosecuted in relation to their conduct within the workplace.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 38721 NHS: Negligence, how much are the steps outlined projected to reduce the cost of maternity negligence payments by NHS(R) in 2025.

NHS Resolution manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. It is not always possible to correlate safety initiatives with negligence payments as there are multiple factors that impact claim volumes, including the legal market. Due to the time lags between an incident and a claim notification, and then between a notification and a settlement date, especially in maternity claims, it will take some time for safety incentives to impact the cost of negligence claims. In relation to the Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth programme, this is currently in its pilot stage. We will evaluate the impact of the programme following its national roll out, but it is expected to reduce the rising cost of clinical negligence.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2025 to Question 38428 on General Practitioners, how many full-time equivalent (a) doctors in general practice and (b) other clinical staff have been recruited since 4 July 2024.

Between 31 July 2024 and 28 February 2025, the latest period for which data is available, there were 586 more fully qualified full time equivalent (FTE) general practitioners (GPs), and nine fewer FTE nurses. Between 30 September 2024 and 31 December 2024, there were an additional 302 FTE direct patient care staff. This data does not include fully qualified GPs recruited through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 37767 on GP Practice Lists, what weighting does the Carr-Hill Formula give to patient deprivation.

The Carr-Hill formula does not include a weighting for patient deprivation. Amongst the range of factors included in the formula, the proportion of the population with a limiting long-term illness (LLTI) and the standardised mortality ratio (SMR) for those aged under 65 years old (SMR<65) are correlated with higher deprivation. The weightings for these factors are the practice list multiplied by (48.1198 + (0.26115 multiplied by the practice’s LLTI) + (0.23676 multiplied by the practice’s SMR<65)).

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 38437 on NHS: Negligence, what the tariff system used to determine payments for medical negligence by NHS Resolution is.

NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. There is no singular tariff system that is used to calculate compensation awards. The legal principle in English law is that the harmed individual is put back into the position they would be had the harm not occurred. Therefore, each individual claim has to be considered on its own factual circumstances.However, there are some statutory limits in certain cases, such as fatalities, and guidelines for the awards in respect of the actual injuries suffered, namely the Judicial College Guidelines. NHSR uses these guidelines to determine the appropriate award for the injuries suffered. In respect to the consequential losses that flow from the harm suffered, such as loss of earnings or care costs, these are assessed based on individual circumstances, informed by expert evidence.Future losses are calculated using the Ogden tables, based on the personal injury discount rate, which is set by the Lord Chancellor. Common law precedent is also used to determine if certain heads of loss are recoverable, and if so, what value is placed upon them. In certain circumstances, for example when dealing with a large group of claims, we may agree a tariff system with claimant representatives to facilitate swift and efficient resolutions for patients.

How many NHS medical staff were struck off for clinical negligence in each year between 2019 and 2024.

The Department does not hold this information. If there is a concern that a regulated healthcare professional has been clinically negligent, we would expect them to be referred to their regulator. All healthcare professional regulators have a statutory duty to consider any concerns that are referred to them and to investigate and take appropriate action to protect the public when they meet the threshold for regulatory action. In the most serious cases, the outcome of these investigations may be that the professional is erased from the register, meaning they can no longer legally practise.There are multiple healthcare professional regulators in the United Kingdom, each holding their own register. Data on the outcomes of fitness to practice proceedings, including the number of individuals erased or ”struck off” from the register, can be found at the respective regulators' websites.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 March to Question 35836 on NHS: Negligence, how many patient (a) deaths and (b) life-changing injuries resulted from those instances of clinical negligence in each year financial year since 2019-20, broken down by speciality.

NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. A table showing the number of clinical negligence claims where payments have been made between the financial years 2019/20 and 2023/24, where the injury 'fatality' is present at any level, broken down by year and specialty, is in the document attached, under Table 1.In addition, a table showing the number of clinical negligence claims where periodical payment orders or settlements above the £4.7 million threshold, where payments were made between the financial years 2019/20 and 2023/24 for 'life-changing' injuries, but excluding 'fatality' at any level, and broken down by year and specialty, is in the document attached, under Table 2.NHSR is unable to break down fatalities by a mother/child split, as they often receive claims from both the mother and child for the same incident, and their coding does not distinguish who has died in those instances. In terms of life-changing injuries, NHSR does not code for this and therefore cannot provide data. The term life-changing injuries could also have various meanings. They have, however, provided data using the actuarial value for Periodical Payment Order (PPO) payments, which is over £4.7 million. Any case which is estimated to settle over this value will have life changing injuries. There will be claims below that level that have life changing injuries, but this is the best way NHSR can try and provide this data.As the data relates to payments made during the relevant financial years, it is also possible that the same claim may appear more than once in the dataset. For example, one payment is made in 2021/22, and a separate payment is made in 2022/23 for the same claim.In respect of PPO cases that have been resolved, the information provided here includes lump sum damages, costs, and any PPO damages paid up to the end of the financial year 2023/24. It does not include PPO damages which have been committed to, but which are due to be paid after the financial year 2023/24.NHSR has supressed low figures as the disclosure of information with this level of granularity is exempt under Section 40(2) by virtue of section 40(3A) (a) of the Freedom of Information Act. NHSR believes it has a greater responsibility to protect those individuals’ identities, as disclosure could potentially cause damage and/or distress to those involved. Where we are in the territory of such small numbers in the attached document, NHSR has used a ‘#’ symbol in the relevant field. However, you should still be able to see aggregate/total details for higher level fields containing this data.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 35425 on GP Practice Lists, whether the Carr-Hill formula has been updated since its introduction.

The Carr-Hill formula weightings have not been updated since the introduction of the formula in 2004.

What information his Department holds on the number of NHS staff who have been sacked for clinical negligence in each year between 2019 and 2024.

The Department does not hold information on the number of National Health Service staff who have been dismissed for clinical negligence.NHS England publishes monthly statistics detailing information on NHS staff recorded within the Electronic Staff Record, the human resource system for the NHS. Each quarter, these statistics include data on ‘reasons for leaving’, where these have been recorded upon a member of staff leaving or moving employment. The published data is available as part of the data each March, June, September, and December, at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statisticsData on dismissals is available in four categories, namely those due to ‘capability’, ‘conduct’, ‘some other substantial reason’, and ‘statutory reason’. There is no way to report those specifically for clinical negligence.Any interpretation of data should be made with the understanding that not all assignments that finish in the NHS result in a ‘reason for leaving’ being recorded. Therefore, the data presented can be viewed as a minimum number of leavers in any giving category. From analysis of the records of staff who leave NHS employment entirely, it is estimated that approximately one third of leavers do not have a reason recorded.

What steps he has taken to reduce instances of clinical negligence by NHS medical staff.

The Government is committed to advancing patient safety and creating a safety learning culture across the health system to stop harmful events from ever happening.Our commitment is demonstrated by the ongoing implementation of key programmes under the NHS Patient Safety Strategy, to support continuous improvement in patient safety across the National Health Service. The Government has also introduced death certification reform and medical examiners, is committed to introducing professional standards for and regulating NHS managers, is reviewing the statutory duty of candour on providers, and is improving maternity safety. This includes investing almost £7.8 million in the Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth programme and supporting all trusts to implement the third version of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle, which provides maternity units with detailed guidance to reduce stillbirths and neonatal deaths.We are taking a fresh look at how to make the current system effective and efficient, to protect quality of care and improve patient safety. Following last year’s review by Dr Penny Dash into the operational effectiveness of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the CQC is rebuilding its approach and trust in its regulation. Dr Dash is conducting a second review of patient safety across the health and care landscape. The conclusions of the review will be published shortly and will inform our 10-Year Health Plan to transform the NHS and social care system.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 35836 on NHS: Negligence, how many separate instances of clinical negligence in England where NHS Resolution paid damages were there in each financial year since 2019-20, broken down by speciality.

NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England.NHS Resolution has provided the requested information broken down by financial year since 2019/20 as well as specialty and scheme. Low figures have been supressed to protect claimant identity. NHSR may make more than one payment on a claim and therefore the volume of payments may exceed the volume of those claims where payments have been made. A copy of the information is attached.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 36426 on General Practitioners, how the additional 6,716,007 appointments were created.

Increased appointment volumes are largely driven by growth in the general practice workforce. Between June 2023 and June 2024, there was an increase of 1,042 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors in general practice and 5,954 other FTE clinical staff, allowing for the delivery of additional appointments from July 2024 onwards.We continue to work to grow the general practice workforce; as part of changes to the 2025/26 GP contract, we have increased flexibilities in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), including merging funding pots and expanding reimbursable roles, and we are recruiting an additional 1,000 general practitioners through a £82 million boost to the ARRS.

How many NHS staff have been prosecuted in relation to clinical negligence each year between 2019 and 2024.

NHS Resolution manages clinical negligence and other claims against the NHS in England. NHS Resolution does not hold the information requested. Criminal proceedings can arise either before, during or after damages have been paid, and are therefore not recorded by NHS Resolution. It does not manage criminal prosecutions as part of its indemnity schemes.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 35836 on NHS: Negligence, what the breakdown of categorisation for Obstetrics Clinical Negligence Claims between financial years (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2023-24 was for claimants by (i) amount paid out, (ii) ethnicity and (iii) age.

NHS Resolution manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. NHS Resolution does not record ethnicity data and therefore this information is not held in the format requested as it is not required for claims management purposes. NHS Resolution’s new case management system will collect the NHS number for claimants where possible, which will allow it to work with others to identify ethnicity and other protected characteristics in its data. NHS Resolution has provided the attached information which shows: total payments for clinical negligence claims between 2019/20 and 2023/24 where the specialty is Obstetrics, broken down by year and patient age range at the time of the incident; the number of clinical negligence claims where payments have been made between 2019/20 and 2023/24 where the specialty is obstetrics, broken down by year and patient age range at the time of the incident, including interim and final payments; total payments for clinical negligence claims between 2019/20 and 2023/24 where the specialty is Obstetrics, and the injury 'Fatality' is present at any level, broken down by year; and the number of clinical negligence claims where payments have been made between 2019/20 and 2023/24 where the specialty is obstetrics and the injury 'Fatality' is present at any level, broken down by year. NHS Resolution is unable to break down fatality by the requested mother/child split as it often receives claims from both the mother and child for the same incident. NHS Resolution’s coding of claims will only allow it to record fatality and does not distinguish who has died in those instances.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 35425 on General Practitioners: Finance, whether data other than the (a) Standardised Limited Long-Standing Illness and (b) Standardised Mortality Ratio is used to calculate the formula; how unavoidable costs based on geographical area are calculated; what the additional costs are of delivering services in rural areas; and how those additional costs are calculated.

Global sum payments to general practices (GPs) are based on the number of patients registered at each GP. The Carr-Hill formula adjusts these payments to take account of the differences in workload between practices, over the differences due to variations in the number of registered patients. As well as the Standardised Limited Long-Standing Illness and Standardised Mortality Ratio, the formula uses data on the number of patients in each age-sex group, the number of patients in nursing and residential homes, and the number of new patient registrations.The two components of the unavoidable costs adjustments in the formula are the staff market forces factor, to take account of the higher cost of employing staff in some parts of the country, estimated from earnings data, and the higher cost of providing services in rural areas, such as longer travel times for patients’ home and care home visits. The rurality adjustment is based on GPs’ expenses data, the distance from the patients’ homes to the GP surgery, and population density.

Pursuant to the Answer 11 March 2025 to Question 35836 on NHS: Negligence, how many instances of Obstetrics Clinical Negligence between financial years(a) 2019-20 and (b) 2023-24 resulted in the death of (i) the mother, (ii) the child or children and (iii) both.

NHS Resolution manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. NHS Resolution does not record ethnicity data and therefore this information is not held in the format requested as it is not required for claims management purposes. NHS Resolution’s new case management system will collect the NHS number for claimants where possible, which will allow it to work with others to identify ethnicity and other protected characteristics in its data. NHS Resolution has provided the attached information which shows: total payments for clinical negligence claims between 2019/20 and 2023/24 where the specialty is Obstetrics, broken down by year and patient age range at the time of the incident; the number of clinical negligence claims where payments have been made between 2019/20 and 2023/24 where the specialty is obstetrics, broken down by year and patient age range at the time of the incident, including interim and final payments; total payments for clinical negligence claims between 2019/20 and 2023/24 where the specialty is Obstetrics, and the injury 'Fatality' is present at any level, broken down by year; and the number of clinical negligence claims where payments have been made between 2019/20 and 2023/24 where the specialty is obstetrics and the injury 'Fatality' is present at any level, broken down by year. NHS Resolution is unable to break down fatality by the requested mother/child split as it often receives claims from both the mother and child for the same incident. NHS Resolution’s coding of claims will only allow it to record fatality and does not distinguish who has died in those instances.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 35425 on General Practitioners: Finance, what data was used to calculate the standardised (a) Limited Long-Standing Illness and (b) Mortality Ratio for people under 65 years old.

The weighting in the Carr-Hill formula for Standardised Limited Long-Standing Illness was estimated using the Health Survey for England data for 1998 to 2000. The weighting for the Mortality Ratio for people under 65 years old was estimated from Office for National Statistics (ONS) data for 1996 to 2000.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 35427 on Dental Services, what estimate he has made of when that data will be available.

Data on the number of additional urgent dental appointments created since 4 July 2024 will be available in due course. We are working with NHS England and the NHS Business Service Authority on the data publication schedule.

Pursuant to the Answer to Question 35425 on General Practitioners: Finance, how regularly GP practice lists of registered patients are updated.

General practices are responsible for maintaining their registered patient lists in a current and accurate state, so that it does not contain any duplicated patients, namely patients who have either died or who have moved and/or are registered elsewhere, that may cause list inflation.The global sum is a capitated payment, calculated based on the size of a practice’s registered list of patients, weighted using the Carr-Hill formula. These payments are calculated quarterly to reflect changes in registered patients lists and other factors such as patient list turnover, sex, and age of registered patients.