Written questions by Jones.

When funding will be allocated for the Royal Berkshire Hospital's rebuild under the New Hospital Programme.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out a credible and deliverable plan for the new hospital schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP) on 20 January 2025, following the conclusion of the review of the NHP. The plan for implementation was laid in the House Library and published on the GOV.UK website, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcomeAs confirmed in this publication, the scheme for Royal Berkshire Hospital is in wave three of the NHP and is now expected to commence construction of the main build between 2037 to 2039.Through the business case process, the trust will set out the costs and the source of funding for their new hospital scheme, including the amounts expected to come from Public Dividend Capital as well as any charitable donations or land sales, if relevant. The standard process for confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. The current estimated cost of the scheme, as of January 2025, is over £2 billion.In the 2024 Autumn Budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced an increase in health capital spending, to £13.6 billion in 2025/26, including over £1 billion to make inroads into the backlog of critical maintenance and tackle dangerous Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete. Further details on this funding will follow at the earliest opportunity, including local capital allocations and national capital programmes for 2025/26, as part of the National Health Service’s planning guidance. Budgets for future years will be confirmed as part of the upcoming Spending Review. The state of the NHS estate and safety impacts will be considered as part of this.

What assessment he has made of the reasons why NHS Trusts are not currently meeting the 31-day cancer waiting time standard.

No assessment has been made of the reasons why some National Health Service trusts are not currently meeting the 31-day and 62-day cancer waiting time standards, however we know that patients are waiting too long for cancer treatment. We will get the NHS diagnosing cancer earlier, treating it faster, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system.As we set out in our new plan for reforming elective care, we are committed to improving performance on cancer waiting times. Further details will be set out in a dedicated national cancer plan and the NHS’s annual operational planning guidance.

What assessment he has made of the reasons why NHS Trusts are not currently meeting the 62 day cancer waiting time standard.

No assessment has been made of the reasons why some National Health Service trusts are not currently meeting the 31-day and 62-day cancer waiting time standards, however we know that patients are waiting too long for cancer treatment. We will get the NHS diagnosing cancer earlier, treating it faster, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system.As we set out in our new plan for reforming elective care, we are committed to improving performance on cancer waiting times. Further details will be set out in a dedicated national cancer plan and the NHS’s annual operational planning guidance.

What information her Department holds on patient data that would indicate disease progression at point of diagnosis in blood cancers.

The National Disease Registration Service, through the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Services (NCRAS), collects information on how many people in England have cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms. The National Disease Registration Service’s website also shows the number of people treated for different tumour types by treatment type, as well as survival rates, mortality rates, and data on urgent suspected cancer referrals. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/ All cases of cancer diagnosed and treated in the National Health Service in England are registered by the NCRAS. This creates a clinically rich data resource that is used to measure diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for patients diagnosed with cancer. The data held by the NCRAS supports service provision and commissioning in the NHS, clinical audits, and public health and epidemiology.

With reference to the oral statement by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of 15 January 2025, Official Report, column 363, and pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2024 to Question 19158 on GPs, what the evidential basis is that there are hundreds of GPs recruited by the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme.

Data on the number of general practitioners employed through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme is not currently published. Information on the number of recently qualified general practitioners for which primary care networks are claiming reimbursement via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme is currently being collated. We are working to verify the data and establish its reliability, which is necessary before any dataset can be published.

How much NHS Trusts paid to private companies for (a) outsourcing and (b) locums for radiology services in the most recent period for which information is available.

NHS England does not hold this information centrally.

Whether the process for developing the new national cancer plan will include consultation with cancer (a) charities and (b) patient representative bodies.

The Government recognises that a cancer-specific approach is needed to meet the challenges in cancer care, and the value in engaging in wide-ranging and meaningful engagement and consultation on how cancer services can meet the needs of those living with cancer. We plan to engage with a wide range of cancer partners, including charities and patient representative bodies.We are now in discussions about what form the National Cancer Plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be, and will provide updates on this in due course.

With reference to the New Hospital Programme: Plan for implementation, what proportion of the New Hospital Programme for the Royal Berkshire Hospital is expected to come from land sales.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out a credible and deliverable plan for the new hospital schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP) on 20 January 2025, following the conclusion of the review of the NHP. The plan for implementation was laid in the House Library and published on the GOV.UK website, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcomeAs confirmed in this publication, the scheme for Royal Berkshire Hospital is in wave three of the NHP and is now expected to commence construction of the main build between 2037 to 2039.Through the business case process, the trust will set out the costs and the source of funding for their new hospital scheme, including the amounts expected to come from Public Dividend Capital as well as any charitable donations or land sales, if relevant. The standard process for confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. The current estimated cost of the scheme, as of January 2025, is over £2 billion.In the 2024 Autumn Budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced an increase in health capital spending, to £13.6 billion in 2025/26, including over £1 billion to make inroads into the backlog of critical maintenance and tackle dangerous Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete. Further details on this funding will follow at the earliest opportunity, including local capital allocations and national capital programmes for 2025/26, as part of the National Health Service’s planning guidance. Budgets for future years will be confirmed as part of the upcoming Spending Review. The state of the NHS estate and safety impacts will be considered as part of this.

What steps he is taking to set an early diagnosis target for blood cancers.

We are determined to take all the necessary steps to improve early diagnosis for all cancers, including blood cancer. To accomplish this, the National Health Service 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.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with blood cancer and other cancers with lower survival rates. We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be, and we will provide updates in due course.

How much funding his Department plans to provide to the Royal Berkshire Hospital to resolve its maintenance backlog.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out a credible and deliverable plan for the new hospital schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP) on 20 January 2025, following the conclusion of the review of the NHP. The plan for implementation was laid in the House Library and published on the GOV.UK website, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcomeAs confirmed in this publication, the scheme for Royal Berkshire Hospital is in wave three of the NHP and is now expected to commence construction of the main build between 2037 to 2039.Through the business case process, the trust will set out the costs and the source of funding for their new hospital scheme, including the amounts expected to come from Public Dividend Capital as well as any charitable donations or land sales, if relevant. The standard process for confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. The current estimated cost of the scheme, as of January 2025, is over £2 billion.In the 2024 Autumn Budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced an increase in health capital spending, to £13.6 billion in 2025/26, including over £1 billion to make inroads into the backlog of critical maintenance and tackle dangerous Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete. Further details on this funding will follow at the earliest opportunity, including local capital allocations and national capital programmes for 2025/26, as part of the National Health Service’s planning guidance. Budgets for future years will be confirmed as part of the upcoming Spending Review. The state of the NHS estate and safety impacts will be considered as part of this.

With reference to the New Hospital Programme: Plan for implementation, what percentage of the New Hospital Programme for the Royal Berkshire Hospital is expected to come from public dividend capital.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out a credible and deliverable plan for the new hospital schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP) on 20 January 2025, following the conclusion of the review of the NHP. The plan for implementation was laid in the House Library and published on the GOV.UK website, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcomeAs confirmed in this publication, the scheme for Royal Berkshire Hospital is in wave three of the NHP and is now expected to commence construction of the main build between 2037 to 2039.Through the business case process, the trust will set out the costs and the source of funding for their new hospital scheme, including the amounts expected to come from Public Dividend Capital as well as any charitable donations or land sales, if relevant. The standard process for confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. The current estimated cost of the scheme, as of January 2025, is over £2 billion.In the 2024 Autumn Budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced an increase in health capital spending, to £13.6 billion in 2025/26, including over £1 billion to make inroads into the backlog of critical maintenance and tackle dangerous Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete. Further details on this funding will follow at the earliest opportunity, including local capital allocations and national capital programmes for 2025/26, as part of the National Health Service’s planning guidance. Budgets for future years will be confirmed as part of the upcoming Spending Review. The state of the NHS estate and safety impacts will be considered as part of this.

What plans his Department has to provide funding for the recruitment and retention of the oncology workforce in the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board.

Developing our workforce is key to supporting the delivery of effective and sustainable cancer services across England and in local areas, including for the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care System.NHS England invested approximately £90 million on training and educating the cancer and diagnostics workforce throughout 2024/25, focusing on growing the number of specialist doctors, nurses, support workers, and allied health professionals, as well as providing opportunities to upskill those already providing frontline services.NHS England is also expanding priority medical specialities, including clinical oncologists, medical oncologists, and clinical radiologists. This will aid our ability to recruit and retain the oncology workforce in the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board.Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish the new National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will reform the workforce.

With reference to the New Hospital Programme: Plan for implementation, what proportion of the New Hospital Programme for the Royal Berkshire Hospital is expected to come from charitable donations.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out a credible and deliverable plan for the new hospital schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP) on 20 January 2025, following the conclusion of the review of the NHP. The plan for implementation was laid in the House Library and published on the GOV.UK website, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcomeAs confirmed in this publication, the scheme for Royal Berkshire Hospital is in wave three of the NHP and is now expected to commence construction of the main build between 2037 to 2039.Through the business case process, the trust will set out the costs and the source of funding for their new hospital scheme, including the amounts expected to come from Public Dividend Capital as well as any charitable donations or land sales, if relevant. The standard process for confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. The current estimated cost of the scheme, as of January 2025, is over £2 billion.In the 2024 Autumn Budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced an increase in health capital spending, to £13.6 billion in 2025/26, including over £1 billion to make inroads into the backlog of critical maintenance and tackle dangerous Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete. Further details on this funding will follow at the earliest opportunity, including local capital allocations and national capital programmes for 2025/26, as part of the National Health Service’s planning guidance. Budgets for future years will be confirmed as part of the upcoming Spending Review. The state of the NHS estate and safety impacts will be considered as part of this.

What proportion of NHS Trusts have implemented recruitment freezes in (a) scanning and (b) cancer departments.

The Department does not currently hold this information. We will engage further with NHS England on this matter.

What steps he is taking to promote cooperation between Integrated Care Boards on (a) data and (b) treatment options for patients.

My rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has announced that there will be a single patient record that allow all providers access to a comprehensive record, to relevant depth and with appropriate safeguards. This would allow patient data to be shared, if necessary, between services in different integrated care boards (ICBs) and give professionals access to the information they need to make the best-informed decisions when delivering care and treatment.In addition, the NHS Standing Rules set out specific obligations on ICBs to enable patients to choose aspects of their healthcare.Commissioners need to ensure where a patient requires a physical health elective referral for a first outpatient appointment and any subsequent treatment that is required, to a consultant or a member of a consultant’s team, the patient can choose any clinically appropriate provider that holds a qualifying NHS Standard Contract with any ICB or NHS England, for the service which the patient needs because of the referral.ICBs should be engaging with local primary and secondary care, and their peers, to build choice into commissioning plans and monitoring referral patterns for potential opportunities and issues related to choice.

If he will take steps to increase the five-year survival rate of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, from 22% to 44%.

The Department is committed to improving survival rates for all blood cancers, including acute myeloid leukaemia. Raising awareness, delivering more research, including into new treatments, and improving early diagnosis of cancers, which includes blood related cancers such as leukaemia, are crucial for improving cancer survival. NHS England has implemented non symptom specific pathways for patients who present with non-specific symptoms or combinations thereof that can indicate several different cancers. This includes leukaemia, which can present non-specific symptoms, such as unexpected weight loss and night sweats. The national evaluation showed that blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways. The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with acute myeloid leukaemia and other cancers with lower survival rates. We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be, and will provide updates in due course.

If he will issue guidance to NHS Trusts on adopting a standardised FOI request system.

The Department has no intention to publish guidance on how National Health Service trusts respond to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. Guidance for organisations on responding to FOIs is published by the Information Commissioner’s Office.

If he will implement a measure for general practice and primary care comparable to that of the mental health investment standard.

Primary care providers, including general practices (GPs), are valued independent contractors who provide almost £20 billion worth of services in the National Health Service. Every year, we consult with each sector both about what services they provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract.We have started consulting with the General Practitioners Committee in England of the British Medical Association on the 2025/26 GP contract and will consider a range of proposed policy changes. These will be announced in the usual way following the close of the consultation in 2025.We have announced a proposed £889 million uplift for GP in 2025/26 and set out the proposed areas of reform which will help us to deliver on our manifesto commitments. This is the largest uplift to GP funding since the beginning of the five-year framework and means we are reversing the recent trend with a rising share of total NHS resources going to general practice.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 18282 on Breast Cancer: Genetics, whether workforce planning for genetic councillors will prioritise areas that have regional inequities in access to genetic counselling.

Each of the seven NHS Genomic Medicine Service regions is reviewing its local workforce strategies and people plans to understand the support needed for patients requiring genomic testing, including genetic counsellors. In addition, each of the 17 NHS Clinical Genomic Services is reviewing and planning profession capacity requirements, including genetic counsellors, to support delivery of care within timescales required for patients and clinicians.Within NHS England, the NHS Genomics Unit is working with the Workforce, Training and Education Directorate to feed genomics demand into the national workforce model. This work is aligned with the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.In addition, NHS England and the NHS Race and Health Observatory have partnered to commission an 18-month research project to investigate disparities in access to and delivery of the NHS Genomic Medicine Service faced by ethnic minority patient groups and identify actions to address any inequities.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 December to question 19158 on GP recruitment, for what reason this information is unavailable; and if he will make it his policy to publish the data once it is available.

Information on the number of recently qualified general practitioners for which primary care networks are claiming reimbursement via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme is currently being collated. We are working to verify the data and establish its reliability, which is necessary before any dataset can be published.