Written questions by Anderson.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Whether his Department plans to allocate capital funding to improve stroke care infrastructure within the (a) Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire Integrated Care Board and (b) Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board areas.

The Government is committed to shifting the focus of the National Health Service out of hospitals and into the community through our 10-Year Health Plan, and recognises that delivering high-quality NHS healthcare services requires the right infrastructure in the right places.The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) has been provisionally allocated £2.8 million from our Primary Care Utilisation fund for 2025/26 to upgrade existing buildings and space, boosting productivity and enabling practices to deliver more patient appointments. In addition, the ICB has been provisionally allocated £39.3 million from our Constitutional Standards Recovery fund to deliver new surgical hubs, diagnostic scanners, and beds to increase capacity for elective and emergency care.The Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB has been provisionally allocated £1.7 million from our Primary Care Utilisation fund and £32.5 million from our Constitutional Standards Recovery fund for 2025/26.In addition to national programme allocations, the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire ICB and the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB have been provisionally allocated £123 million and £62 million respectively in operational capital for 2025/26, including primary care business-as-usual capital, which can be used to improve stroke care infrastructure where this is a local priority.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of stroke care provision within the (a) Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire Integrated Care Board and (b) Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board areas.

The Integrated Stroke Delivery Network (ISDN) in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire West aims to improve stroke care through collaborative service improvement across the stroke pathway, addressing the approximately 2,200 annual stroke admissions in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire West, which cost £38.6 million in 2023/24. The ISDN's 2025/26 plan prioritises reducing stroke incidence and disability through acute care, rehabilitation, and prevention workstreams. Key achievements include artificial intelligence implementation, to reduce treatment times, and increased mechanical thrombectomy rates, particularly due to the 24/7 service at Oxford University Hospital and an agreed referral protocol, with Wycombe Hospital achieving the highest national referral rate for an acute stroke centre. Rehabilitation efforts focus on improving consistency, with projects in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire demonstrating positive outcomes, such as increased access to support and improved patient wellbeing. Building on these positive outcomes will require sustained funding in Oxfordshire’s community rehabilitation services, alongside ongoing efforts to enhance the integration of services and patient engagement across the region.NHS England leads the quarterly joint North and South East of England ISDN meeting, which reviews stroke provision across the region. The Bedfordshire Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) Integrated Care Board (ICB) and representatives from provider trusts attend these meetings to provide assurance. The ICB still has contract monitoring in place with trusts, and trusts have their own internal quality assurance processes. The Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme is the main data source for monitoring, which all the above forums use. The last Getting It Right First Time review of stroke services, which included BLMK, was in 2022.

What steps his Department is taking to help meet the mental health needs of children from underserved communities in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes.

We know that waits for children and young people's mental health services are far too long and that some disadvantaged groups are less likely to access support. That is why the National Health Service’s planning guidance for 2025/26 makes it clear that one of the priorities for children's mental health services is to reduce local inequalities in access to children and young people’s mental health services between disadvantaged groups, including in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes, and the wider population. The Government will also recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across child and adult mental health services and provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school through expanding Mental Health Support Teams, so that every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Early intervention and prevention support in the community is vital. That is why we are providing £7 million of funding to extend support for 24 Early Support Hubs that have a track record of helping thousands of young people in their community.

What steps his Department is taking to support improvements in stroke care services at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) is demonstrating an ongoing commitment to delivering stroke services in line with the best practise, set out in the National Stroke Service Model.MKUH operates a 24-bed Hyper-Acute Stroke Unit, providing a seven-day thrombolysis service from 8:00am to 5:00pm, with additional services outside these hours offered at Luton and Dunstable Hospital. Rated B by the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme, the MKUH Stroke Unit had an average Door-to-Needle time of 31 minutes over the last year, compared to the national average of 55 minutes. MKUH is the second-best performing trust in England for door-in-and-out transfer time for thrombectomy to Oxford University Hospitals, with a median time of 84 minutes versus the national average of 133 minutes, and ranks 4th nationally for mechanical thrombectomy rates, at 5.9%, compared to 2.6% nationally.MKUH also uses artificial intelligence powered software called e-Stroke to analyse computed tomography scans, identify brain damage, and automatically alert the clinical team, supporting quicker clinical decisions.

What steps his Department is taking to support cancer care in Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

The Department is working closely with NHS England to make sure we have the right workforce with the right skills up and down the country, including in Milton Keynes. This also includes cancer care and treatment.The Government believes that cancer patients are waiting too long for diagnosis and treatment. We will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster. We will improve patients’ experience across the system.

What assessment his Department has made of the availability of community mental health services in Buckinghamshire.

We recognise that too many people in places like Buckinghamshire are not receiving the mental health care they need.The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire West Integrated Care Board is responsible for providing health and care services, including community mental health services, to meet the needs of the people of Buckinghamshire.As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, the Government will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment which will also help ease pressure on busy mental health services.There are currently approximately 65 locally-funded early support hubs across England, offering early easy access mental health interventions to thousands of children and young people. The Department is running an £8 million Shared Outcomes Fund project throughout 2024/25 to boost and evaluate the impact of 24 of these existing early support hubs, which includes one based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, run by the Youth Enquiry Service.In addition, work is ongoing across Government to deliver our commitment to set up Young Futures hubs in every community, offering open access mental health services for young people.

What steps his Department is taking to address the shortage of healthcare assistants at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

We are committed to building a health service fit for the future, with the workforce it needs to get patients seen on time and cared for by the right professional when and where they need it, but bringing in the necessary staff will take time.Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual NHS Trusts. NHS Trusts manage their recruitment at a local level ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.

How many NHS dentists are available to residents in (a) north Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For North Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes this is the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB.In the years 2023/24, the number of dentists who performed NHS work in the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB was 481, which is equivalent to 47.4 dentists per 100,000 population. The average number of dentists per 100,000 at an ICB level in the same period was 49.8 dentists per 100,000 population. This data is published on NHS Business Services Authority, and is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324

What proportion of patients referred to mental health services in Milton Keynes are seen within the target waiting time.

The following table shows information on the agreed mental health waiting time standards relating to the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, broken down by the services provided, and compared to their actual performance: ServiceWaiting time standardLatest reporting periodPerformanceEarly Intervention in Psychosis60% of referrals entering treatment within two weeksJune to August 202473%NHS Talking Therapies75% of referrals that finished a course of treatment waiting six weeks or less for first treatment contactAugust 202498%NHS Talking Therapies95% of referrals that finished a course of treatment waiting 18 weeks or less for first treatment contactAugust 2024100%Children and young people’s eating disorder services95% of children and young people referred for assessment or treatment for an eating disorder receiving National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved treatment within one week if the case is urgent, and four weeks if the case is routine or non-urgent.June to August 2024Data suppressed due to fewer than five referrals entering treatment during the reporting periodSource: NHS England.