Written questions by Chowns.

If his Department will publish national plans to improve (a) respiratory health and (b) other major conditions following the publication of the NHS England 10 Year Health Plan.

The 10-Year Health Plan will focus on the three shifts needed to deliver a modern National Health Service: hospital to community, analogue to digital, sickness to prevention. We want to see more tests and scans in the community, in high street settings, reducing the need for people to take multiple trips to hospitals to get diagnosed.The 10-Year Health Plan will describe a shared vision for the health and care system in 2035, drawing directly from the extensive engagement underway with the public, patients and staff. The plan will include how care models and pathways will need to change or evolve to better meet their needs, and the cultural and behavioural changes we want to see.The Department, following the merger with NHS England, will continue the work undertaken by NHS England to improve the services for major conditions in line with the vision of the 10-Year Health Plan.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing (a) sexual health services and (b) public health back into the NHS.

The Government is committed to preventing ill health, promoting healthier lives and addressing health disparities, including sexual health.We have therefore committed to developing a 10-Year Health Plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, which will explore commissioning models to meet the changing needs of our changing population. The plan will be focused on delivering the three shifts: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention, and will be published in June 2025.

If he will make it his policy to require NHS hospitals to operate pay on exit parking.

The NHS car parking guidance 2022 for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts states that trusts should consider installing ‘pay on exit’ or similar schemes so that drivers pay only for the time that they have used.National Health Service organisations should continue to work with their patients and staff, local authorities, and public transport providers to make sure that users can get to the site, and park, if necessary, as safely, conveniently, and economically as possible. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

When he plans to set a new date for cross party talks to discuss the work of the Independent Commission on social care.

Baroness Casey will be contacting all party groups to set dates with parties across the House very shortly. She will commence her commission in April 2025.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the environmental impact of prescribing (a) inhalers and (b) other medicines.

In October 2020, the National Health Service published its Net Zero Strategy, in order to become the world’s first health system to commit to reaching net zero emissions, and NHS England is working collaboratively with a range of partners on implementation.Recognising the importance of decarbonising general practices (GPs), NHS England collaborated with the Royal College of General Practitioners and the authors of the report Towards Greener Prescribing in General Practice, to develop a net zero hub, which includes three eLearning modules and a practice decarbonisation guide. These resources support and educate GPs in reducing carbon emissions from prescribing.  The Department will work with NHS England to consider the recommendations and findings of the Royal College of General Practitioners' report.Greener prescribing and recycling are key enablers to support the NHS’ transition towards a more sustainable healthcare system. One key aspect of this is tackling overprescribing, including through improving repeat prescribing processes and delivering Structured Medication Reviews. Further information can be found in the updated Green Plan Guidance at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/green-plan-guidance/The NHS has already made progress in reducing medicine emissions.  For example, optimising inhaler use by addressing Short Acting Beta Agonists overprescribing, improving inhaler technique, and working to ensure patients are on the appropriate treatment regimen and are using their inhaler at the right time. NHS England is also committed to exploring inhaler recycling and its potential benefits, and is currently supporting the implementation of an inhaler recycling pilot to assess a national scheme’s feasibility and potential benefits.In 2021, NHS England set out its NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap. Alongside and since this announcement, many pharmaceutical companies have made commitments to decarbonise. The NHS and the Government continue to collaborate with industry across a range of actions, such as the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing programme, and the Voluntary Pricing, Access and Growth Investment Programme.

What steps his Department is taking to support primary care to reduce carbon emissions from prescribing.

In October 2020, the National Health Service published its Net Zero Strategy, in order to become the world’s first health system to commit to reaching net zero emissions, and NHS England is working collaboratively with a range of partners on implementation.Recognising the importance of decarbonising general practices (GPs), NHS England collaborated with the Royal College of General Practitioners and the authors of the report Towards Greener Prescribing in General Practice, to develop a net zero hub, which includes three eLearning modules and a practice decarbonisation guide. These resources support and educate GPs in reducing carbon emissions from prescribing.  The Department will work with NHS England to consider the recommendations and findings of the Royal College of General Practitioners' report.Greener prescribing and recycling are key enablers to support the NHS’ transition towards a more sustainable healthcare system. One key aspect of this is tackling overprescribing, including through improving repeat prescribing processes and delivering Structured Medication Reviews. Further information can be found in the updated Green Plan Guidance at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/green-plan-guidance/The NHS has already made progress in reducing medicine emissions.  For example, optimising inhaler use by addressing Short Acting Beta Agonists overprescribing, improving inhaler technique, and working to ensure patients are on the appropriate treatment regimen and are using their inhaler at the right time. NHS England is also committed to exploring inhaler recycling and its potential benefits, and is currently supporting the implementation of an inhaler recycling pilot to assess a national scheme’s feasibility and potential benefits.In 2021, NHS England set out its NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap. Alongside and since this announcement, many pharmaceutical companies have made commitments to decarbonise. The NHS and the Government continue to collaborate with industry across a range of actions, such as the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing programme, and the Voluntary Pricing, Access and Growth Investment Programme.

With reference to the Royal College of General Practitioners' report entitled Towards Greener Prescribing in General Practice, published in March 2025, what plans his Department has to expand medicines recycling and re-use schemes.

In October 2020, the National Health Service published its Net Zero Strategy, in order to become the world’s first health system to commit to reaching net zero emissions, and NHS England is working collaboratively with a range of partners on implementation.Recognising the importance of decarbonising general practices (GPs), NHS England collaborated with the Royal College of General Practitioners and the authors of the report Towards Greener Prescribing in General Practice, to develop a net zero hub, which includes three eLearning modules and a practice decarbonisation guide. These resources support and educate GPs in reducing carbon emissions from prescribing.  The Department will work with NHS England to consider the recommendations and findings of the Royal College of General Practitioners' report.Greener prescribing and recycling are key enablers to support the NHS’ transition towards a more sustainable healthcare system. One key aspect of this is tackling overprescribing, including through improving repeat prescribing processes and delivering Structured Medication Reviews. Further information can be found in the updated Green Plan Guidance at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/green-plan-guidance/The NHS has already made progress in reducing medicine emissions.  For example, optimising inhaler use by addressing Short Acting Beta Agonists overprescribing, improving inhaler technique, and working to ensure patients are on the appropriate treatment regimen and are using their inhaler at the right time. NHS England is also committed to exploring inhaler recycling and its potential benefits, and is currently supporting the implementation of an inhaler recycling pilot to assess a national scheme’s feasibility and potential benefits.In 2021, NHS England set out its NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap. Alongside and since this announcement, many pharmaceutical companies have made commitments to decarbonise. The NHS and the Government continue to collaborate with industry across a range of actions, such as the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing programme, and the Voluntary Pricing, Access and Growth Investment Programme.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Royal College of General Practitioners' report entitled Towards Greener Prescribing in General Practice, published in March 2025; and whether he plans to implement the recommendations of that report.

In October 2020, the National Health Service published its Net Zero Strategy, in order to become the world’s first health system to commit to reaching net zero emissions, and NHS England is working collaboratively with a range of partners on implementation.Recognising the importance of decarbonising general practices (GPs), NHS England collaborated with the Royal College of General Practitioners and the authors of the report Towards Greener Prescribing in General Practice, to develop a net zero hub, which includes three eLearning modules and a practice decarbonisation guide. These resources support and educate GPs in reducing carbon emissions from prescribing.  The Department will work with NHS England to consider the recommendations and findings of the Royal College of General Practitioners' report.Greener prescribing and recycling are key enablers to support the NHS’ transition towards a more sustainable healthcare system. One key aspect of this is tackling overprescribing, including through improving repeat prescribing processes and delivering Structured Medication Reviews. Further information can be found in the updated Green Plan Guidance at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/green-plan-guidance/The NHS has already made progress in reducing medicine emissions.  For example, optimising inhaler use by addressing Short Acting Beta Agonists overprescribing, improving inhaler technique, and working to ensure patients are on the appropriate treatment regimen and are using their inhaler at the right time. NHS England is also committed to exploring inhaler recycling and its potential benefits, and is currently supporting the implementation of an inhaler recycling pilot to assess a national scheme’s feasibility and potential benefits.In 2021, NHS England set out its NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap. Alongside and since this announcement, many pharmaceutical companies have made commitments to decarbonise. The NHS and the Government continue to collaborate with industry across a range of actions, such as the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing programme, and the Voluntary Pricing, Access and Growth Investment Programme.

What steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to help prevent hospital treatment in corridors.

The Government recognises that long waits in accident and emergency departments are unacceptable and lead to worse patient outcomes. Patients should expect and receive the highest standard of service, and we are determined to tackle the issue of corridor care. NHS England published guidance in September 2024 regarding the use of temporary escalation spaces, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/principles-for-providing-safe-and-good-quality-care-in-temporary-escalation-spaces/In January 2025, the NHS England mandate and operational planning guidance for 2025/26 were published. These set out the priorities and actions to be taken to reform and improve urgent and emergency care services. This includes increasing the proportion of patients admitted, discharged, and transferred from an emergency department within 12 hours across 2025/26 compared to 2024/25.We will shortly set out the further improvements and actions to be taken to support urgent and emergency care services this year.

What steps he is taking to support ICBs to offer community wax removal services to people requiring them.

The Department does not have plans to intervene in locally led arrangements for the provision of ear wax removal services. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning ear wax removal services in local areas in line with the recommendations for ear wax removal as set out in guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng98/chapter/Recommendations

Whether funding for additional higher anaesthetic training places will continue in 2025-26.

We are committed to training the staff we need, including anaesthetists and all other medical specialities, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We have launched the 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to reform and repair the National Health Service. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. NHS England has funded 70 additional training posts in anaesthesia in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Further expansion will be determined by the upcoming Spending Review and the planned refresh of the Long Term Workforce Plan. The content of the plan will be confirmed at the earliest opportunity.

Whether the next iteration of the (a) NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and (b) 10-year Health Plan will include targets for increasing medical specialty training places in (i) anaesthetics and (ii) other medical specialties.

We are committed to training the staff we need, including anaesthetists and all other medical specialities, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We have launched the 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to reform and repair the National Health Service. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. NHS England has funded 70 additional training posts in anaesthesia in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Further expansion will be determined by the upcoming Spending Review and the planned refresh of the Long Term Workforce Plan. The content of the plan will be confirmed at the earliest opportunity.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential reasons for health professionals leaving the NHS, to the lowest available data level; and what steps his Department is taking to promote improved staff retention.

NHS England publishes quarterly data on the broad reasons for staff leaving and staff movements in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations, support organisations, and central bodies in England. This is published as part of the NHS Workforce Statistics publication, which is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statisticsIn addition, the latest timeseries data, which runs to September 2024, is available at the following link:https://files.digital.nhs.uk/CC/67A0A8/NHS%20Workforce%20Statistics%2C%20September%202024%20Reasons%20for%20Leaving.xlsxThe Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, to ensure the retention of our hardworking and dedicated staff. NHS England is leading the National Retention Programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts.Retention efforts are aligned with the NHS People Promise, which was co-developed with staff to reflect what matters to them. This ensures that trusts have access to proven retention strategies and data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.

Whether his Department has plans to publish a plan for improving outcomes for people living with musculoskeletal conditions.

Over 17 million people in England live with a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition, and improving their health and work outcomes will help deliver the Government's missions to build a National Health Service fit for the future and kickstart economic growth.The Get Britain Working white paper sets out the Government’s plans to reform employment, health, and skills support to tackle rising economic inactivity levels. MSK conditions are one of the leading conditions reported by people who are economically inactive due to long-term sickness in the United Kingdom, and in the white paper, the Government announced that we are delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England Getting It Right First Time MSK Community Delivery Programme, which will work directly with integrated care boards to further reduce MSK community waiting times.

Whether his Department is taking steps to reduce the gender pain gap for women.

Through the call for evidence for the Women’s Health Strategy, women told us that they had not always been listened to by healthcare professionals and that more needs to be done to improve research, evidence, and data on women’s health. It is unacceptable that women’s pain is dismissed, as this can lead to unnecessary suffering or a delayed diagnosis.The Women’s Health Strategy for England sets out ambitions to boost the participation of women in all types of research, and for more research into women’s experiences. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has funded a range of research into women’s experiences. This includes a qualitative study into patient and healthcare professionals' experiences of the management, diagnosis, and treatment of endometriosis, which is available at the following link:https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR156216It also includes a study to develop a patient-reported outcome measure for prolapse, incontinence, and mesh complication surgery, which is available at the following link:https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR152187The NIHR expects to implement its sex and gender policy in spring 2025. This will ensure that research considers sex and gender across every stage of the research cycle, facilitating both an assessment of funding into topics that impact men and women and, crucially, a greater understanding of how women might be impacted differently.Work continues to implement the Women's Health Strategy. In the longer term, our priorities for delivering the strategy will be aligned with the 10 Year Plan and the Government's missions. The 10 Year Plan will set out how we tackle the inequities that lead to poor health, including for women.

What support his Department is providing to women that are more likely to live with a musculoskeletal condition.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, and women’s equality will be at the heart of our missions. Women’s health hubs have a key role in shifting care out of hospitals and reducing gynaecology waiting lists. As of December 2024, 39 out of the 42 integrated care boards reported that they had a women’s health hub. Reporting from integrated care boards to NHS England shows that the pilot funding has been used to open or expand a total of 88 hubs.The Government recognises that musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions disproportionately impact women, and we are working jointly with NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time team to deliver our MSK Community Delivery Programme to further reduce MSK community waiting times.We also know that more than one in three women, compared to one in five men, will sustain one or more osteoporotic fractures in their lifetime. On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan. This set out funding to boost bone density scanning (DEXA) capacity, to support improvements in early diagnosis and bone health. This is expected to provide an estimated 29,000 extra scans per year once all are fully operational. DEXA scans are a vital component of the early diagnosis of osteoporosis.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce health disparities amongst ethnic minority communities in the treatment of (a) arthritis and (b) musculoskeletal conditions.

The Race Equality Foundation’s report, Musculoskeletal conditions and Black, Asian and minority ethnic people: addressing health inequalities, commissioned by what was then Public Health England, identified that some Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups in the United Kingdom are disproportionately represented due to the risk factors for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. MSK pain is more widespread among people in minority ethnic groups that may reflect social, cultural and psychological differences. The report is available at the following link:https://raceequalityfoundation.org.uk/health-and-care/musculoskeletal-conditions-and-black-asian-and-minority-ethnic-people-addressing-health-inequalities/We have set a Health Mission with the aim of tackling the social determinants of health such as those described in the report, focusing on prevention, and ensuring that everyone lives longer, healthier lives. We have also committed to delivering a 10-Year Health Plan, which will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed, to move healthcare from the hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention. Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, including for people from minority ethnic groups.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their local population, including for MSK conditions such as arthritis. Under the Health and Care Act 2022, ICBs have a duty to consider reducing inequalities with respect to people’s ability to access services within the National Health Service and the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of those health services, including for people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

What discussions he has had with the BBC Board on the broadcasting of public information films to promote public health.

Ministers engage regularly with a variety of stakeholders to discuss a range of topics, including but not limited to the promotion of public health. A partnership between the Department and the BBC promotes physical activity through the Couch to 5K app. Since its launch in 2016, it has been downloaded over 7 million times, with over 9 million runs completed last year alone.The Department promotes public health through the Better Health range of websites, apps and support tools which were visited over 20 million times in the last year.

With reference to the document by NHS England entitled 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance, published on 30 January 2025, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the removal of the NHS target for completion of annual health checks for people with a learning disability on health inequalities for people with learning disabilities in Herefordshire.

The NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance for 2025-26 addresses the urgent challenges facing the NHS, as highlighted by the Darzi investigation. My Rt. Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, recently announced a series of reforms to the NHS operating model to move power from the centre to local leaders. In keeping with these reforms, we are giving systems greater control and flexibility over how funding is deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.NHS England recognises the importance of the learning disability annual health check. The NHS Operational Planning Guidance for 2025/26 still requires integrated care boards to report on the number of people on the quality outcome framework learning disability register aged 14 years old or over who receive an annual health check during the quarter. The planning guidance is not a catalogue of everything the NHS does, nor is it the sole evidence of our priorities. It remains important that people with a learning disability and autistic people have the right, tailored support in place.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on introducing auto-enrolment for Healthy Start vouchers.

The Healthy Start scheme is kept under review. There have been no discussions with my Rt Hon. Friend, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on introducing auto-enrolment for Healthy Start.The Healthy Start scheme was introduced in 2006 to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old, from very low-income households. It can be used to buy, or put towards the cost of, fruit, vegetables, pulses, milk, and infant formula. Healthy Start beneficiaries have access to free Healthy Start Vitamins for pregnant women and children aged under four years old. Healthy Start now supports over 355,000 beneficiaries. This figure is higher than the previous paper voucher scheme.The NHS Business Services Authority operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. All applicants to the Healthy Start scheme, where they meet the eligibility criteria, must accept the terms and conditions of the prepaid card at the point of application. As the prepaid card is a financial product and cannot be issued without the applicant accepting these terms, the NHS Business Services Authority is not able to automatically provide eligible families with a prepaid card. However, we remain open to all viable routes to improve uptake.