Written questions by Johnson.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on the NHS Business Services Authority.

Following the announcement that NHS England will be abolished as an arm’s length body, a transformation programme has been launched within the Department.It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts. Evidence from these ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate.Discussions between officials within NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), the Department, and NHS England are ongoing concerning NHSBSA’s role and services for the health and social care system in light of the abolition of NHS England.The Government is committed to transparency and will consider how best to ensure the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on patient safety.

The changes that the Government is making, alongside the wider commitments set out in the 10 Year Health Plan, will positively impact on patient care and safety by driving quality of care, productivity and innovation in the National Health Service.NHS England will continue to undertake its statutory functions while working with the new executive during the transition, until parliamentary time allows for changes to be made in primary legislation.Patient safety will remain paramount over this transformation period. We will put plans in place to ensure continuity of care and that there are no risks to patient safety.

What assessment has made of the potential merits of electronic prescribing in secondary care settings.

The rollout of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) in secondary care settings is underway with a goal to have at least half of National Health Service hospital trusts using it by 2026. NHS England is supporting the adoption of EPS by secondary care providers and supporting secondary care IT system suppliers to develop integration with EPS.Benefit analysis to date indicates that EPS in secondary care improves prescription workflows, reduces administrative burden and the need for paper prescription pads, thereby enhancing security, reducing errors, and lowering costs. It supports remote consultations and enables better tracking and reporting of prescribing data.

What the headcount of staff members was at (a) his Department and (b) NHS England in each month between February and September 2025.

The table below shows the number of employees in the Department and workers in NHS England at the end of each month between February and August 2025. September figures are not yet available as the month has not yet ended.NHS England Executives made a deliberate decision not to restrict recruitment to clinical training posts until a review of post-graduate clinical education and training has been completed. While recruitment to clinical training posts has caused an overall increase in NHS England’s headcount, its wider workforce has reduced in size, as shown in the table below, due to the recruitment controls enacted.MonthDepartment HeadcountNHS England HeadcountGP Educators (Included in NHS England Headcount)Wider Workforce (Included in NHS England Headcount)February 20253,68218,9651,13717,828March 20253,69719,0211,14417,877April 20253,70019,0151,19317,822May 20253,70319,3071,50117,806June 20253,70019,2821,54017,742July 20253,70019,0321,55717,475August 20253,66419,1931,78417,409Source : Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England Note: The GP Educators workforce provides clinical supervision and training to general practitioners.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure prioritisation of earlier diagnosis of myeloma in the National Cancer Plan.

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers such as myeloma, as well as other unstageable cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, in order to improve outcomes.To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancer earlier and treating it faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.

Whether the National Cancer Plan will include targets to improve diagnosis times for myeloma.

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers such as myeloma, as well as other unstageable cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, in order to improve outcomes.To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancer earlier and treating it faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.

What estimate he has made of the number of (a) operations and (b) outpatients appointments that will be cancelled if resident doctors strike on 25 July 2025.

No formal assessment has been made of the possible industrial action by resident doctors on 25 July 2025.

What forecast he has made of the cost to the public purse of the planned strike of resident doctors on 25 July 2025.

Resident doctors have announced strike action between 25 and 30 July 2025. The direct impact on the public purse will depend on the level of participation and service disruption within the National Health Service.

If he will consider making resident doctors subject to legislation preventing strike action.

The Department has no plans to pursue legislative measures to prevent strike action by any National Health Service workforce group.

When he plans to publish the HIV action plan.

The Government is committed to ending new HIV transmissions in England by 2030 and is developing the new HIV Action Plan which we aim to publish this year.

With reference to the press release entitled Boost to mental health services from thousands of extra staff, published on 27 June 2025, where the dedicated mental health emergency departments will be located.

The announced expansion of crisis assessment centres, also referred to as mental health emergency departments, builds on a number of early implementer sites that have been established in recent years by local health systems to provide a dedicated therapeutic alternative to emergency departments for individuals in a mental health crisis. Locations for the new centres are being identified through a capital allocation process, involving expressions of interest from integrated care boards and regionally and nationally coordinated assessments of local need, existing provision, and system readiness. The new centres will typically serve multiple emergency departments and will be accessible via NHS 111, ambulance conveyance, walk-in, or referral pathways.

When he plans to publish the revised NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

We will publish our 10 Year Workforce Plan by the end of this year. The approach set out in our 10-Year Health plan means we will need a very different kind of workforce strategy. Instead of asking ‘how many staff do we need to maintain our current care model over the next 10 years?’, our new 10 Year Workforce Plan will ask ‘given our reform plan, what workforce do we need, what should they do, where should they be deployed, and what skills should they have?’

When he plans to publish the national maternity and neonatal action plan.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care recently announced an independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services, and the establishment of a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce.The investigation will produce, by December 2025, one clear set of national recommendations to achieve high quality, safe care across maternity and neonatal services, and will ensure that women and families are listened to.The taskforce will then develop a national action plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care. The timing for the publication of the action plan will be announced in due course. In the meantime, work continues to implement the actions set out in NHS England’s Three Year Delivery Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Services. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care also announced some immediate actions to boost accountability and safety as part of the Government’s mission to build an NHS fit for the future. This includes measures to hold the system to account, a system to better identify safety concerns, rolling out a programme to all trusts to tackle discrimination and racism, and new best practice standards in maternal mortality.

On what dates he has met the British Medical Association to discuss resident doctors (a) pay and (b) terms and conditions in 2025.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has met with the British Medical Association to discuss these issues a number of times. The dates and details of these meetings can be found in Department transparency returns, in the usual way.

How many of the newly qualified GPs recruited since October 2024 trained in the United Kingdom.

The Department does not hold the requested information as workforce and recruitment decisions are made locally by practices and primary care networks. As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is up to general practices to determine how they run their operations.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan published on 3 July, 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 NHS for a significant period for specialty training.

What discussions he has had with the Leader of the House of Lords on the commencement date for the Committee stage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Ministers and officials from the Department are regularly in touch with their counterparts across Government. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has had its Second Reading in the House of Lords, and the Committee stage will take place when parliamentary time allows. We expect the bill to complete its passage within this parliamentary session.

What his target date is for 92% of patients to begin elective treatment within 18 weeks.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to delivering the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029.Planning Guidance for 2025/26 sets a target that 65% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks by March 2026, with every trust expected to deliver a minimum 5% improvement on current performance over that period.

What funding has been allocated to Healthy Start for 2026-27.

The Spending Review on 11 June 2025 set total departmental budgets for day-to-day spending from 2026/27 until 2028/29. Departments must now allocate these budgets to portfolios, programmes, and projects. As such, the budget allocated to Healthy Start for 2026/27 is still to be determined. Healthy Start is a demand-led, statutory scheme and aims to support those in greatest need. We recently announced in Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan that we will uplift the value of weekly payments by 10%, boosting the ability to buy healthy food for those families who need it most. From April 2026, pregnant women and children aged over one and under four years old will each receive £4.65 per week, up from £4.25, and children under one years old will receive £9.30 per week, up from £8.50.

With reference to page 12 of his Department's policy paper entitled Fit for the Future: The 10 Year Health Plan for England, published in July 2025, whether it remains his policy to abolish NHS England.

Yes, as announced on 13 March, NHS England will be brought into the Department to form a new joint centre. The necessary work to formally abolish NHS England is underway.NHS England will continue to undertake its statutory functions, working with the new executive during the transition, until parliamentary time allows for the necessary legislative changes to be made.

Whether he has made and estimate of the total cost of providing personalised coaching to each member of NHS staff.

No estimate has been made. As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan published on 3 July, we will introduce new ‘skills escalators’ for staff. These will give staff a trajectory for clear career progression, with increasing autonomy.By 2035, every single member of National Health Service staff will have their own personalised career coaching and development plan, to help them acquire new skills and practice at the top of their professional capability.Further details on this will be set out in our 10 Year Workforce Plan later this year.