Written questions by Stephenson.

Whether patients will be able to access private healthcare services provided through the NHS on the NHS app.

We estimate there are around 450 independent sector providers that are providing National Health Service services via the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). There is no classification of private healthcare or independent sector in the e-RS Directory of Services. Patients can already access referrals to these private healthcare providers via the NHS App where they have been shortlisted by their GP.

With reference to page 12 of the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, whether parents will be able to opt-out of universal newborn genomic testing.

The 10-Year Health Plan set out an ambition to offer newborn genomic testing as part of routine care within the next decade. Delivering against this ambition will be subject to evidence gathered through the Generation Study. This research programme is evaluating the effectiveness of using whole genome sequencing to test 100,000 newborns for more than 200 rare genetic conditions.Participation in the Generation Study is voluntary, with parental consent required to store genomic and health data securely. Consent is an ongoing process, and parents can withdraw their child at any time before age 16, when the child will be asked to re-consent. If genomic testing becomes part of routine screening, parental consent will still be required, as with the current NHS screening programmes for newborn babies.

With reference to page 12 of the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, how long individualised genomic data for newborns will be retained.

The 10-Year Health Plan set out an ambition to offer newborn genomic testing as part of routine care within the next decade. Delivering against this ambition will be subject to evidence gathered through the Generation Study. This research programme is evaluating the effectiveness of using whole genome sequencing to test 100,000 newborns for more than 200 rare genetic conditions.With parental consent, data is stored securely in the existing National Genomic Research Library which, with patient consent, already stores genomic data from the NHS Genomic Medicine Service to support ethical research. The study is exploring the risks and benefits of storing an individual's genome over their lifetime. Therefore, genomic data will be stored throughout the child’s life, unless consent is withdrawn. Consent is an ongoing process, and parents can withdraw their child at any time before the age of 16 years old, when the child will be asked to re-consent. The study will deliver an evaluation report which will inform future policy decisions around the storage of personal, including genomic, data.

If he will commission an (a) independent and (b) peer reviewed study of the accuracy of AI in healthcare settings.

The National Health Service operates within a comprehensive regulatory framework for artificial intelligence (AI), underpinned by rigorous standards established by numerous bodies including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Health Research Authority, and Care Quality Commission. These agencies ensure that AI technologies are safe, effective, and ethically deployed within healthcare settings.There are protocols in place to ensure that AI tools used in healthcare settings are accurate and effective. NICE, for example, routinely evaluates medical technologies, including innovative AI-enabled technologies, which are assessed in NICE’s Early Value Assessment programme for those technologies that are most needed and in-demand. This work is independent and rigorous, and reflects the high standards of our health regulators.

If he will make an assessment of the potential cyber security implications of his policy to make the NHS the most artificial intelligence enabled care system in the world, as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan for England.

The 10-Year Health Plan and the Life Sciences Sector Plan commit the Government to making the National Health Service become the most artificial intelligence (AI)-ready healthcare system in the world.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will review regulations, and in 2026 we will publish a new regulatory framework for medical devices, including AI. This will create faster and more predictable routes to market, taking a proportionate approach to risk.To mitigate the likelihood and severity of any potential harm to individuals arising from use of data in AI, the Information Commissioner’s Office has developed detailed AI guidance which provides an overarching view of data protection, including Data Protection Impact Assessments and United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulations. It has also produced an AI toolkit to support organisations auditing compliance of their AI-based technologies.On cyber security more widely, in the past year we have invested £37.6 million across health and social care, building on the £338 million invested since 2017. Through our ambitious Cyber Improvement Programme, we are tackling the changing cyber risk head-on, expanding protection and services to better protect the health and care system.Through the Data Security and Protection Toolkit, there are already robust cyber standards which all NHS organisations are expected to meet. These standards will apply to the deployment of artificial intelligence capabilities, as with any other new technology. These standards will continue to evolve in line with the threat over the next ten years.

With reference to the press release entitled Managing healthcare easy as online banking with revamped NHS App, published on 3 July 2025, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people who are digitally-excluded can access health services available through the NHS App.

We are working to improve access to digital services, outcomes, and experiences for the widest range of people, based on their preferences. Digital health tools should be part of a wider offering that includes face-to-face support, with appropriate help for people who struggle to access digital services. Centrally built services, such as the NHS App and the NHS.UK website, are designed to meet international accessibility standards. We are modernising the mobile patient experience within the NHS App, ensuring information is clearly structured and easy to find and understand.NHS England has successfully run several programmes to support patients, carers, and health service staff with their digital skills. These include:- the Digital Health Champions programme, a proof of concept to support citizens who have no or low digital skills with understanding how to access health services online;- the Widening Digital Participation programme, aimed to ensure more people have the digital skills, motivation, and means to access health information and services online; and- the NHS App ‘Spoken Word’ Pilot project, designed to test the efficacy of promoting National Health Service digital health products and services in languages other than English. We have also recruited over 2,000 NHS App ambassadors and 1,400 libraries to help people to learn how to use it. NHS England has published a framework for NHS action on digital inclusion and is developing further resources to support practical actions. All programmes are actively considering how they can contribute to improvements in healthcare inequalities and digital inclusion.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of his Department's funding for children’s hospices.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, including from children’s hospices, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.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 of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant.The Department and NHS England are 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.

Whether access to dementia specialist nurses will be available through his Department's planned Neighbourhood Health Services.

The Neighbourhood Health Service will bring together teams of professionals closer to people’s homes to work together to provide comprehensive care in the community. We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations, and so they could include dementia specialist nurses. While we will be clear on the outcomes we expect, we will give significant licence to tailor the approach to local need. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean services will look different in rural communities, coastal towns, and/or deprived inner cities.The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We would expect ICBs to commission services, which may include dementia specialist nurses/admiral nurses, based on local population needs, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines. NICE recommends providing people living with dementia with a single named health or social care professional who is responsible for coordinating their care.

How many medical students started university in each of the past five years.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) publish the number of United Kingdom-wide acceptances to medicine and dentistry jointly, but not to English providers for medicine alone. The latest number for UK medicine and dentistry acceptances, as of 15 days post A-Level results day, is 13,730 acceptances for 2025, which is 5% higher than the same point last year, namely 13,030 acceptances, and 15% higher than pre-pandemic, namely 11,960 acceptances in 2019.The Office for Students publishes the number of entrants to medical degrees in England each year. Numbers for 2020 and 2021 are high because of the temporary lifting of the cap on medical school places in England during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following table shows the number of entrants to medicine courses in England, each year from 2019 to 2024:YearEntrants20197,56520208,40520218,48520227,62520237,8202024*8,045Source: The Office for Students’ Medical and Dental Students Survey, from 2019 to 2024.Notes:2024 entrants are based on initial figures and may change.Given the evidence from UCAS data above, we would expect entrant numbers to be in the region of 5% higher in 2025 when numbers are known.

With reference to the press release entitled PM launches new era for NHS with easier care in neighbourhoods, published on 2 July 2025, how his Department plans to define neighbourhoods in rural areas.

The Neighbourhood Health Service will mean millions of patients, including those in rural constituencies, are treated and cared for closer to their home by new teams of health professionals.We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that meets the needs of local populations. Rather an applying a rigid, one-size fits all model, the population base for Neighbourhood Health Services is intentionally flexible and locally determined. The geography of a ‘neighbourhood’ will be determined locally by integrated care boards in partnership with their strategic partners, particularly local authorities.The plan introduces two new contracts, including one to create multi-neighbourhood providers covering populations of approximately 250,000 people, that will unlock the advantages and efficiencies possible from greater scale working across all general practices and small neighbourhood providers in their footprint.Moreover, in the future, there will also be neighbourhood health plans drawn up by local government, the National Health Service, and its partners. The local ICB will bring together these plans into a population health improvement plan for their footprint, which they will use to inform commissioning decisions.We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While we will be clear on the outcomes we expect, we will give significant licence to tailor the approach to local need. The focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, but the service will look different in rural communities, coastal towns, and/or deprived inner cities.

If he will make an estimate of the number of medical students starting university in autumn 2025.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) publish the number of United Kingdom-wide acceptances to medicine and dentistry jointly, but not to English providers for medicine alone. The latest number for UK medicine and dentistry acceptances, as of 15 days post A-Level results day, is 13,730 acceptances for 2025, which is 5% higher than the same point last year, namely 13,030 acceptances, and 15% higher than pre-pandemic, namely 11,960 acceptances in 2019.The Office for Students publishes the number of entrants to medical degrees in England each year. Numbers for 2020 and 2021 are high because of the temporary lifting of the cap on medical school places in England during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following table shows the number of entrants to medicine courses in England, each year from 2019 to 2024:YearEntrants20197,56520208,40520218,48520227,62520237,8202024*8,045Source: The Office for Students’ Medical and Dental Students Survey, from 2019 to 2024.Notes:2024 entrants are based on initial figures and may change.Given the evidence from UCAS data above, we would expect entrant numbers to be in the region of 5% higher in 2025 when numbers are known.

What steps he plans to take to improve access to NHS Continuing Healthcare for people with (a) Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and (b) Corticobasal Degeneration in Mid-Bedforshire constituency.

Our national statutory guidance, the National framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care, outlines that access to NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) assessment, care provision, and support should be fair, consistent, and free from discrimination. This national statutory guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-framework-for-nhs-continuing-healthcare-and-nhs-funded-nursing-careEligibility for CHC is not determined by diagnosis or condition. Individuals can be identified and referred for CHC assessments by a variety of health or social care practitioners who have been trained and are known to the individual. Individuals and families can also request a CHC assessment from a health and care practitioner.Integrated care boards should make the CHC Public Information Leaflet available to members of the public, for example through local National Health Service websites, hard copies on hospital wards, through primary care outlets, local care homes, and local voluntary sector organisations. This Public Information Leaflet containing further information on CHC is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-continuing-healthcare-and-nhs-funded-nursing-care-public-information-leaflet/public-information-leaflet-nhs-continuing-healthcare-and-nhs-funded-nursing-care--2NHS England has also commissioned an information and advice service for CHC, supplied by Beacon, which individuals and their families might find helpful, and which is available at the following link:https://beaconchc.co.uk/how-we-can-help/free-information-and-advice-on-nhs-continuing-healthcare/

If he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of medical students who graduated at the end of the 2024-25 academic year who will begin work in the NHS in the 2025-26 academic year.

The Department does not hold the information requested.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, published 3 July 2025, we will work across the Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training. We will also prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training. We will set out next steps in due course.Over the next three years, we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need.

What proportion of medical students who graduated in each of the past five years were working in the NHS on 1 September 2025.

The Department does not hold the information requested.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, published 3 July 2025, we will work across the Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training. We will also prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training. We will set out next steps in due course.Over the next three years, we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need.

What steps he plans to take to help improve access to life-extending (a) treatments and (b) medicines for patients with incurable secondary breast cancer in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

The Department remains committed to reducing waiting times for cancer treatment and to improving access to treatment across England, including for patients with incurable secondary breast cancer in the Mid Bedfordshire constituency.We have now exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered over four million more appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to treatment.In May 2025, NHS England announced the world’s first roll out of liquid biopsy testing, which is now available for all eligible breast cancer patients, and which aims to speed up diagnosis and inform better treatment options for those with breast cancer.The National Cancer Plan for England will be published later this year and will set out further details on how we will improve outcomes for all cancer patients, including those with secondary breast cancer. The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare.

If he will make an estimate of the number of NHS employees employed on a Level 7 Apprenticeship in each of the last five years.

The Department does not hold the information requested.

With reference to the press release entitled Patients and pupils to benefit from school and hospital repairs, published on 30 May 2025, whether any hospitals in Bedfordshire will be included.

The £750 million Estates Safety Fund announced in the press release entitled ‘Patients and pupils to benefit from school and hospital repairs’ is part of the overall 2025/26 capital allocation announced by the Chancellor at the Autumn Budget in 2024.Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been provided with £10.5 million from the Estates Safety Fund with £9.3 million for Bedford Hospital and £1.2 million for Luton and Dunstable Hospital.Allocations from the 2025/26 Estates Safety Fund are in addition to system operational capital, of which £62 million (including Primary Care Business as Usual Capital) has been provisionally allocated to Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board in 2025/26 for addressing local priorities, including investment in maintenance and repairs at hospitals in Bedfordshire.

With reference to the press release entitled NHS workers awarded real terms pay rises for second year in row, published on 22 May 2025, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse.

Last year’s pay awards for National Health Service staff were among the biggest across the public sector. This year, we have announced above inflation, fully funded pay increases across all staff groups for a second year in a row. These thoroughly deserved pay rises demonstrate how the Government wants to work with staff in our shared ambition to rebuild the NHS. We have been able to fully fund these pay award thanks to the reforms we’ve made, including cuts to bureaucratic duplication and central running costs.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the amount of upfront funding allocated to ICBs in areas of expected high population growth.

NHS England is responsible for funding allocations to integrated care boards, to pay for the services they commission. This process is independent of the Government, and NHS England takes advice on the underlying formula from the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation. Most funding is allocated as a non-ring-fenced budget, informed by a calculation of what would constitute a “fair share” of funding, taking account of population, age, need, deprivation, and health inequalities considerations. The population figures take account of Office for National Statistics population projections for the year in question. These projections take account of fertility, mortality, and migration, and so reflect expected high population growth.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of utilising chiropractors to reduce NHS waiting lists.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we have committed to return to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including those waiting for musculoskeletal treatment, wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, set out the productivity and reform efforts we will undertake to return to the 18-week standard, and ensure patients have the best possible experience while they wait.NHS England does not nationally commission chiropractic care as it is a complementary and alternative medicine. Independent care boards are able to make independent decisions on which health professionals they employ and may commission a limited amount of such treatment.There are currently no plans to review the categorisation of chiropractic care as a complementary and alternative medicine. Where musculoskeletal treatment is required, referrals will be made to physiotherapists where appropriate.