Written questions by Eccles.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that the introduction of teplizumab contributes to reducing rates of diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis and inequalities in outcomes for people with type 1 diabetes.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department is taking to help accelerate the translation of beta cell research into clinical trials and routine NHS care for people with type 1 diabetes.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of multi-year funding arrangements for specialist social care provision supporting the Armed Forces community.

Awaiting answer.

Whether his Department plans to mandate the recording of Armed Forces community status in adult social care management systems in England.

The Department doesn’t currently have any plans to mandate the recording of Armed Forces community status in case management systems. However, we are committed to supporting the shift from analogue to digital by exploring approaches to reform case managem...

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of inequities in inflammatory bowel disease care and outcomes; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the online h

The Department recognises the importance of consistent, high-quality care for people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While the National Health Service in England operates within a locally commissioned system, the Government expects integrate...

What consideration his Department has given to the development of national standards for inflammatory bowel disease across ICBs in England.

The Department recognises the importance of consistent, high-quality care for people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While the National Health Service in England operates within a locally commissioned system, the Government expects integrate...

What steps his Department is taking to improve treatment access and monitoring for patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

The Department recognises the importance of consistent, high-quality care for people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While the National Health Service in England operates within a locally commissioned system, the Government expects integrate...

What steps the department is taking to establish a universally commissioned emergency eye care pathway to end the postcode lottery of these service in England.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary and secondary eye care services to meet local need. This can include community minor and urgent eye care services, with decisions on provision made locally to reflect population need ...

What steps the NHS takes to support pupils with medical conditions in schools.

The Government is committed to delivering the healthiest generation of children ever. Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies, and pupil referral units in England to make arrangements for supporting...

What steps the NHS takes to provide healthcare to pupils with medical conditions in schools.

The Government is committed to delivering the healthiest generation of children ever. Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies, and pupil referral units in England to make arrangements for supporting...

What steps he is taking to help ensure that referral services for women and girls impacted by violence and abuse will be evidence-based.

As part of the cross-Government Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, the Department has committed to roll-out a domestic abuse and sexual violence referral service, “Steps to Safety” across all integrated care boards by 2029.This will ensure that all clinical and non-clinical staff in general practices in every area of England can connect victims and survivors with specialist services. The programme builds on innovative, evidence-based approaches already operating in England, and will include evaluation of the services in order to continue building a strong evidence base for what works to support victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a 36-hour week for full time NHS staff at no loss of pay.

This specific assessment has not been made.National Health Service staff covered by the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay system in England work 37.5 hours per week in line with the terms set out in Section 10 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook (TCS), also referred to as the AfC terms and conditions. The NHS Staff Council is responsible for maintaining the handbook. There are no current discussions between Government and the NHS Staff Council about reducing the number of hours full time AfC staff work in England.The number of full-time hours for medical staff in England as stipulated in their respective TCS is 40 hours. Less than full time options are available to all staff. A flat allowance of £1,000 is received by any less than full time resident doctor, which recognises the relative increased costs of training that doctors training less than full time face as a result of being less than full time.

How many medical students graduated from UK universities in each of the last five years; and how many doctors completed foundation training in each of the last five years.

Data published by the General Medical Council (GMC) provides information on the number of doctors with a United Kingdom Primary Medical Qualification (PMQ) by year. The following table shows the number of doctors graduating from UK medical schools in each of the last five years who then registered with the GMC:PMQ YearTotal20207,38120217,35620227,81020238,27920249,26120259,734Source: General Medical Council, UK graduates summary data, with further information available at the following link: https://gde.gmc-uk.org/medical-schools/uk-graduates/uk-graduates-summary-data Note: total represents the total number of doctors with a UK Primary Medical Qualification in that year who went onto register with the GMC.Medical graduates complete a two-year Foundation Programme following graduation from medical school. Successful completion of the programme occurs at the end of Foundation Year Two (F2). Data on the number of doctors completing foundation training is published by the GMC through its Education Data Tool. Successful completion of foundation training is interpreted as completion of F2.The following table shows data published by the GMC on the number of doctors completing F2 in each of the last five years:Foundation Two YearNumber of F2 doctors20197,19520207,37920217,68620227,65520237,591Source: General Medical Council, Education Data Tool Progression Reports, with further information available at the following link: https://edt.gmc-uk.org/progression-reports/recruitment-from-f2

Whether (a) guidance has been provided to Dudley Council on the treatment of Armed Forces compensation in means-testing for Disabled Facilities Grants and (b) the Government’s commission on adult social care will consider reform to the treatment of Armed Forces compensation in means testing for the Disabled Facilities Grant.

In March 2022, the Government published Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) guidance for local authorities in England. It includes a section on the Armed Forces community and can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/disabled-facilities-grant-dfg-delivery-guidance-for-local-authorities-in-englandThe Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government funds Foundations, the national body for the Disabled Facilities Grant and Home Improvement Agencies, to work with local authorities on all aspects of delivery. We are not aware of any specific guidance provided to Dudley Council; however, local authorities have a considerable degree of discretion in how they deliver home adaptation grants. This includes the power to fully disregard all military compensation payments in the application of the means test.Baroness Casey, chair of the Independent Commission into adult social care, is looking at what fundamental reforms will be needed in adult social care. The Commission's Terms of Reference is sufficiently broad to enable Baroness Casey to define its remit to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future.

When he plans to publish the outcomes of the Extend medicines responsibilities for allied health professions consultation which closed in October 2025.

The Department is currently analysing the large number of respondents received, and a Government response detailing next steps will be published in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times from referral to specialist appointment in the Black Country.

We’ve cut waiting lists in the Black Country by more than 10% in the past year, including through the deployment of digital tools and AI to ensure more time is dedicated for patient care. But we are committed to going even further through the investment and modernisation set out in our Elective Reform Plan.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce waiting lists for people needing urgent allergic care.

The Department is working closely with a range of stakeholders from across the Government, the National Health Service, voluntary organisations, and patient representative groups, including the National Allergy Strategy Group, to consider how allergy care and support could be improved.The Government is committed to returning accident and emergency waiting times to the safe operational waiting time standards set out in the NHS Constitution. In doing so, we will be honest about the challenges facing the health service and serious about tackling them. The Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 was published on 6 June 2025 and focuses on improvements that will make urgent and emergency care better every day. The plan will: ensure that at least 78% of patients in accident and emergency departments will be seen within four hours; andreduce the number of patients waiting over 12 hours for admission or discharge from an emergency department to less than 10%. Further information on the Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/urgent-and-emergency-care-plan-2025-26/ In July 2025, we published the 10-Year Health Plan to create a new model of care, to be fit for the future. This includes establishing the Neighbourhood Health Service, to shift care into the community and reduce demand in emergency departments, which is backed by almost £450 million of capital investment. Further information on the 10-Year Health Plan is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future

Whether the upcoming NHS Workforce Plan will include measures to improve the recruitment and retention of staff in women’s health services.

Women’s health is a priority for this government, which is why we are implementing the Women’s Health Strategy. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for women, when they need it. We are working through how the Plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.

What steps he is taking to ensure the operation of NHS Practitioner Health beyond March 2026.

Looking after the mental health of our hardworking National Health Service staff is a priority for the Government.The National Staff Mental Health Treatment Service currently supplied by NHS Practitioner Health is funded until March 2026, and work is being completed to re-commission this service for the next three years, aligned to the Multi-Year Spending Review, from 2026 to 2029.More recently, the 10-Year Health Plan committed to roll out Staff Treatment Hubs. These hubs will provide a high-quality occupational health service for all NHS staff.

If he will make his policy to introduce a Long service and good conduct medal for (a) doctors and (b) nurses.

Employers across the National Health Service are best placed to identify and reward staff for either long service or excellence in the delivery of healthcare. Most organisations have developed a wide range of schemes to celebrate long service in the NHS and these include celebratory events, commemorative badges, and monetary awards and gifts.For NHS employees who have made an outstanding contribution, the honours system celebrates those who go above and beyond to change the world around them for the better. Nominations can be made online via the Cabinet Office website.There is also the opportunity for members of Parliament to acknowledge the work of NHS staff in their constituency through the NHS Parliamentary Awards, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhs-parliamentary-awards/about/