Written questions by Anderson.

What his planned timetable is for ensuring that all NHS Trusts are digitally interoperable with MedTech Compass, in the context of the operation of the Innovator Passport scheme.

We are committed to ensuring that patients benefit from safe and effective innovations more quickly, that National Health Service organisations are supported to make informed, value-based decisions on medical technology, and that we put in place a low-friction procurement environment to support the medical technology (MedTech) industry, and in particular small and medium-sized enterprises in the United Kingdom.To support this, we’re developing a digital product comparison platform called MedTech Compass. It will align with the new NHS Innovator Passport, making key information visible in one place, in order to avoid suppliers having to submit the same data to every NHS trust.The current regulatory regime ensures that all medical devices placed in the market are safe, and MedTech Compass will only display products with Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approval.The initial development phase of MedTech Compass, to test design concepts, will complete early next year and the findings of this phase will inform the specifics around how the system will operate.An evaluation plan and metrics will be considered as part of the MedTech Compass development process, which may include measuring the time taken to adoption and other metrics informed by the initial development phase learnings.

What steps his Department plans to take to evaluate the potential impact of the Innovator Passport scheme on the average time taken for new health technologies to reach routine NHS use.

We are committed to ensuring that patients benefit from safe and effective innovations more quickly, that National Health Service organisations are supported to make informed, value-based decisions on medical technology, and that we put in place a low-friction procurement environment to support the medical technology (MedTech) industry, and in particular small and medium-sized enterprises in the United Kingdom.To support this, we’re developing a digital product comparison platform called MedTech Compass. It will align with the new NHS Innovator Passport, making key information visible in one place, in order to avoid suppliers having to submit the same data to every NHS trust.The current regulatory regime ensures that all medical devices placed in the market are safe, and MedTech Compass will only display products with Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approval.The initial development phase of MedTech Compass, to test design concepts, will complete early next year and the findings of this phase will inform the specifics around how the system will operate.An evaluation plan and metrics will be considered as part of the MedTech Compass development process, which may include measuring the time taken to adoption and other metrics informed by the initial development phase learnings.

Whether his Department has established (a) regulatory oversight and (b) quality assurance processes to ensure that innovations distributed under the Innovator Passport meet (i) safety and (ii) effectiveness standards in all adopting NHS trusts.

We are committed to ensuring that patients benefit from safe and effective innovations more quickly, that National Health Service organisations are supported to make informed, value-based decisions on medical technology, and that we put in place a low-friction procurement environment to support the medical technology (MedTech) industry, and in particular small and medium-sized enterprises in the United Kingdom.To support this, we’re developing a digital product comparison platform called MedTech Compass. It will align with the new NHS Innovator Passport, making key information visible in one place, in order to avoid suppliers having to submit the same data to every NHS trust.The current regulatory regime ensures that all medical devices placed in the market are safe, and MedTech Compass will only display products with Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approval.The initial development phase of MedTech Compass, to test design concepts, will complete early next year and the findings of this phase will inform the specifics around how the system will operate.An evaluation plan and metrics will be considered as part of the MedTech Compass development process, which may include measuring the time taken to adoption and other metrics informed by the initial development phase learnings.

What guidance his Department plans to develop to help support life sciences SMEs to prepare evidence dossiers that will be compatible with Innovator Passport standards to enable rapid access to NHS procurement.

The Department and NHS England are committed to reducing procurement friction to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The development of the Innovator Passport will include close engagement with industry, including SMEs, to ensure that the approach taken and the implementation reflects the needs of SMEs, including the provision of clear guidance and ongoing support. To support this, the Department is developing a digital product comparison platform called MedTech Compass which will align with the new National Health Service Innovator Passport and provide improved visibility of the products available from SMEs. The Department is also launching Value Based Procurement Standard Guidance early next year, to provide a consistent and transparent approach to assessing medical technology. The guidance includes a bank of questions and model answers which outline the types of evidence that should be provided by bidders, and followed close engagement with industry to develop.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of self-sampling on levels of uptake for cervical screening among (a) socioeconomic and (b) ethnic groups.

The Department undertook an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) into the introduction of human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling in under-screened populations, which will be published shortly. The findings of this EQIA, which considered national and international evidence, suggest that there is potential for HPV self-sampling for under-screened groups to improve participation in cervical screening by reducing some of the barriers to participation experienced by people with different protected characteristics, leading to improved participation and ultimately preventing more cervical cancers and associated deaths.The self-testing kits which detect HPV, which is a group of viruses that can lead to cervical cancer, allow women to carry out this testing in the privacy and convenience of their own homes.The programme specifically targets those groups consistently missing vital appointments, with younger women, ethnic minority communities facing cultural hurdles, people with a disability, and LGBT+ people all set to benefit.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of people from groups that have previously been less likely to have had cervical screening who will be offered self-sampling kits under the NHS Cervical Screening Programme in its first year in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

This information is not held at the requested geographical level.

What discussions he has had with NHS England on the steps it plans to take to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of self-sampling for cervical screening compared with clinician-taken samples.

The Department is guided on screening policy by the UK National Screening Committee. The committee is working with National Institute for Health and Care Research and NHS England to develop an In Service Evaluation that will evaluate the clinical effectiveness of self-sampling for cervical screening compared with clinician-taken samples, as well as looking at how self-sampling would impact the routine cervical screening programme if offered to all eligible women.From January 2026, screening providers in the NHS Cervical Screening Programme in England will be able to offer self-sampling kits to women if they have not attended their appointment for six months or more following routine invitation.Self-sampling will help detect high-risk human papillomavirus, prevent cancer, and save lives in those who currently do not access clinician led screening. However, for those attending clinician testing, a shift to self-sampling might result in a programme that is not yet proven to be of equal efficacy. Further studies to consider whether self-sampling could be used across the whole population are being developed.

What his Department's timetable is for the national rollout of self-sampling kits to people who have previously been less likely to have had cervical screening under the NHS Cervical Screening Programme.

NHS England will roll out human papillomavirus self-sampling from early 2026.

Whether his Department has set specific targets for the number of (a) self-sampling cervical screening tests distributed and (b) samples received from self-sampling cervical screening tests among different (i) socioeconomic and (ii) ethnic groups.

Target setting is currently under consideration by NHS England.

What governance arrangements will oversee the (a) reporting lines and (b) accountability mechanisms of the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce.

The Government is establishing a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and made up of a panel of experts as well as family, charity, and staff representatives. Bringing family voices to the heart of this work, the taskforce will co-produce a national plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.The terms of reference are still under development with stakeholders and families, and will be released in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the provision of elective care in Milton Keynes.

As of March 2025, performance against the 18-week standard stood at 59.8% nationally. For Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, it stood at 47.79%.The Government has committed to achieving the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. In January 2025, the Government published the Elective Reform Plan, which sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to this standard.Milton Keynes University Hospital has received additional regional and national support from NHS England across electives. This has included site visits and funding to support additional capacity. The Lloyds Court Community Diagnostic Centre, which started activity from its final site in October 2024, has significantly increased elective and cancer diagnostic capacity. NHS England is working closely with Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board to develop an appropriate elective hub solution for the system. Milton Keynes University Hospital has also been confirmed as a Wave 1 scheme of the New Hospital Programme, with construction expected to start in 2027/2028. This will provide significant additional elective capacity to cope with the growing needs of residents. Milton Keynes University Hospital is focusing on all areas of efficiency to ensure that it makes the most of its facilities and continues to achieve progress on reducing waiting lists, including a focus on outpatient transformation, Getting It Right First Time, implementing Patient Initiated Follow Ups, minimising Did Not Attend and improving theatre productivity. Other work to improve the provision of elective care includes: referral optimisation, with Advice & Guidance implementation in primary care to improve and maximise pre-hospital pathways; diagnostic pathways, with two community diagnostic centres operational in Milton Keynes, namely Whitehouse Park and Lloyds Court, which will support growing diagnostic demand and improve elective pathways; waiting list validation and clinical prioritisation, ensuring that the waiting list is up to date and accurate, with Milton Keynes University Hospital being in the first wave for this; and patient choice, with provider accreditation process in place across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes giving the opportunity for providers to seek a contract for healthcare services where patient choice applies and thus improves elective provision.

What steps his Department plans to take to (a) monitor and (b) evaluate the potential impact of advertising restrictions on rates of childhood obesity following their implementation.

The Government is taking bold action to tackle the childhood obesity crisis and create the healthiest generation of children ever. We are progressing with the implementation of the advertising restrictions for less healthy food or drink products on television and online. This includes a 9pm watershed on television and a 24-hour restriction on paid-for advertising of these products online. These restrictions are expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets in the United Kingdom per year.We will publish a post-implementation review within five years of implementation. We have commissioned various studies through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to feed into this review, which will allow us to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the restrictions.

What proportion of prescription items dispensed in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire were exempt from charges for each of the last three years.

The information requested has been provided by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). It has not been possible to collate data for the Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire area alone as this would require the NHSBSA to hold postcodes for all addresses in this area, however we do hold data for the two National Health Service integrated care boards (ICBs) which cover the Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire area, namely the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB and the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB. Therefore, the following table shows the percentage of prescription items for which the patient held a prescription pre-payment certificate or did not pay a charge because the item was covered by an existing exemption that were dispensed for the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB, for 2022, 2023, and 2024: YearPercentage of items where no per item charge was paid at the point of dispensing202293.73%202393.95%202494.31% In addition, the following table shows the percentage of prescription items for which the patient held a prescription pre-payment certificate or did not pay a charge because the item was covered by an existing exemption that were dispensed for the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB, for 2022, 2023, and 2024: YearPercentage of items where no per item charge was paid at the point of dispensing202292.91%202393.26%202493.69% To note, prescriptions purchased using a prescription pre-payment certificate are recorded as exempt at the point of dispensing by the NHSBSA. Given this, prescription pre-payment certificate dispensing data is included in the above data set.

How many community pharmacies provide Pharmacy Contraception Services as of May 2025 in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

The most recent available data from January 2025 showed that there were 15 community pharmacies providing services in Buckingham and Bletchley. The contraception service is an additional service that contractors can choose to provide. The latest full set of data available shows that claims were submitted by 5,399 pharmacies for delivering this service, including five in Buckingham and Bletchley.

How many people in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire are eligible for free NHS prescriptions under the low-income scheme.

The information requested is not held. Eligibility for the NHS Low Income Scheme and the amount of help an individual can get depends on their weekly income and necessary outgoings, plus any savings or investments they have at the time of application. Given this, it is not possible to know the total number of people eligible for the scheme at any given time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GPs in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes have been recruited through the increase to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme.

As of 31 March 2025, the number of general practitioners (GPs) who had been recruited through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) was 26 in the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (ICB), and 58 in the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB.As of 28 February 2025, the number of full time equivalent (FTE) ARRS GPs was 13.5 in the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB, and 35.3 in the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB.Funding to employ GPs through the scheme has been available since October 2024 and therefore the number of GPs recruited is from 1 October onwards.

How many recently qualified GPs have been recruited in (A) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme since April 2024.

As of 31 March 2025, the number of general practitioners (GPs) who had been recruited through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) was 26 in the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (ICB), and 58 in the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB.As of 28 February 2025, the number of full time equivalent (FTE) ARRS GPs was 13.5 in the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB, and 35.3 in the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB.Funding to employ GPs through the scheme has been available since October 2024 and therefore the number of GPs recruited is from 1 October onwards.

What the average funding is allocated per pharmacy in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency under the 2025–26 contractual framework.

In 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework will be increased to £3.073 billion. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. There is also additional funding available, for example for pharmacies delivering Pharmacy First consultations and flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.The majority of this funding is linked to activity, so each pharmacy’s share of the funding depends on how many prescriptions it dispenses, and the volume of NHS clinical services it delivers. Therefore, we cannot forecast how much pharmacies in Buckingham and Bletchley will earn from delivering NHS services in 2025/26.

What the GP-to-patient ratio is in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

As of 31 March 2025, the median number of full time equivalent doctors in general practice per 10,000 registered patients in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency was 4.5.

How many GP practices in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency have received funding for estate upgrades.

The Buckingham and Bletchley constituency falls into the areas of two integrated care boards (ICBs). No practices in the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) ICB, part of the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency, will be receiving money from the national Utilisation and Modernisation Funding, but we understand the ICB is supporting three practices in the constituency with potential premises improvements using S106 funding.All general practices (GPs) in the BLMK area were given the opportunity to apply for funding under the national Utilisation and Modernisation Fund. No applications were received from practices in Bletchley within the deadline.In the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and West Berkshire ICB area, within the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency, there are two GPs which have benefited from significant recent estates funding, those being:Swan Practice, which now has an approved Sustainability and Transformation Partnership, a capital programme, project for a £5 million contribution from NHS England towards a new £10 million GP facility at Lace Hill. Construction has started and the project is due to be completed in the summer of 2026; and3W Health, which has benefitted from an NHS Property Services investment of approximately £1.5 million for refurbishment of Winslow Health Centre in 2023.