Written questions by Maguire.

When he plans to respond to the consultation entitled Proposal for a tie-in to NHS dentistry for graduate dentists, published on 23 May 2024.

As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the National Health Service for a minimum period, which we intend to be at least three years. That will mean more NHS dentists, more NHS appointments, and better oral health.We will be working closely with the sector on the detail of the scheme, and will consult on the detail of the model in due course. This will include publication of the Government’s response to the 2024 consultation.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that hospice contracts reflect the (a) cost of the services they provide and (b) needs of their local populations.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.  NHS England has also developed a palliative care and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative care and end of life care needs of their local population.Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between ICB areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.The Department and NHS England are currently working at pace to develop plans on how best to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10- Year Health Plan.Additionally, we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.We are also committing £80 million for children’s and young people’s hospices over the next three financial years, giving them stability to plan ahead and focus on what matters most, caring for their patients.

What steps he is taking to increase NHS England's baseline number of speciality training places in (a) clinical radiology and (b) clinical oncology.

The 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July, set out that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that cancer patients have effective radiotherapy treatment.

Radiotherapy is vital in cancer care, and it remains a key priority for the Government to provide the highest quality of treatment available. This is why the Government has invested £70 million of central funding on 28 new LINAC radiotherapy machines across the country to replace older, less efficient radiotherapy machines.

How many eligible women have not had a breast cancer screening in (a) England and (b) Surrey for which the latest data is available.

The latest available screening data, for 2023/24, shows that in England, 6.69 million women were eligible for breast screening. Over 70%, or 4.6 million, of these eligible women had a breast screening result recorded within that last three-year period. Approximately 30%, or 1.97 million, of these eligible women did not have a breast screening test result recorded in that last three-year period.In the 2023/24 screening year in Surrey, 141,778 women were eligible for breast screening and 71.3%, or 101,088, had a breast screening result recorded within that last three-year period. This is higher than the national coverage of 70%. Approximately 28.7%, or 40,690, of these eligible women did not have a breast screening result recorded within that last three-year period in Surrey.

What steps his Department is taking to support the wellbeing of staff working in A&E.

The health and wellbeing of National Health Service staff, including those working in accident and emergency departments is a top priority. NHS organisations have a responsibility to create supportive working environments for staff, ensuring they have the conditions they need to thrive.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out staff treatment hubs to ensure all staff have access to high quality occupational health support, including for mental health. To further support this ambition, we will work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals, support to work healthily and flexibly, and tackling violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the workplace.

How many cancer patients are waiting for radiotherapy treatment in (a) England and (b) Surrey for which the latest data is available.

The information is not available in the format requested. Information on the 31-day cancer treatment waiting time standard, including the number of patients who received radiotherapy and whether their treatment was within the 31-days, is available for England and the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (ICB). The following table shows the number of people receiving radiotherapy for cancer, as of August 2025, for England and the Surrey Heartlands ICB:AreaTotalWithin 31 daysPercentage treated within 31 daysEngland10,7989,62989.2%Surrey Heartlands ICB22321395.5%Source: NHS England’s Cancer Waiting Times statistics: Commissioner Based, August 2025, available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/10/AUGUST-2025-CWT-CRS-COMMISSIONER-WORKBOOK-PROVISIONAL.xlsx

What information his Department holds on the number of women who suffered baby loss between 2020 and 2025.

Baby loss can include miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, and neonatal death. Official statistics published by the Office for National Statistics on stillbirths and neonatal deaths are available at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/childhoodinfantandperinatalmortalityinenglandandwales/2023 NHS England does not hold comprehensive data on miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies as it is not consistently or officially counted in the same way as live births, stillbirths, or neonatal deaths. The Maternity Services Data Set records information from the point of a person booking an appointment for maternity care and therefore does not include losses prior to contact with National Health Service maternity services, nor is the data of sufficient quality and completeness to produce any counts data. Information on miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies resulting in a hospital stay is published in the Hospital Episodes Statistics, although not all such pregnancies will involve an NHS hospital stay and therefore will not be included, with further information available in Table 1i, named Miscarriage and ectopic pregnancies which resulted in an NHS hospital stay, in the document attached. The most recent available data shows that there were 31,046 finished consultant episodes with a primary diagnosis of miscarriage in 2020/21, 33,352 in 2021/22, 33,126 in 2022/23, and 35,876 in 2023/24. In addition, there were 10,368 finished consultant episodes with a primary diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy in 2020/21, 11,088 in 2021/22, 10,999 in 2022/23, and 12,122 in 2023/24.

What progress his Department has made on reducing the rate of (a) stillbirths and (b) (i) neonatal and (ii) maternal deaths in England by 50% by 2030.

The national maternity safety ambition is to reduce the rates of stillbirth, neonatal and maternal mortality, and infant brain injury to half of the 2010 rates by 2025, and to reduce the rate of preterm birth to 6% by 2025. These aims are unlikely to be met, and while considerable progress has been made overall in reducing the stillbirth rate and neonatal mortality rate since 2010, both rates increased in 2021, and progress has since stalled. There has also been an increase in maternal mortality.The national maternity safety ambition for stillbirths is to halve the 2010 rate by 2025, down to 2.5 stillbirths per 1,000 births. The most recent figure is 3.8 stillbirths per 1,000 births in 2024. In addition, the safety ambition for neonatal death is to halve the 2010 rate by 2025, down to one neonatal death per 1,000 live births. The most recent figure is 1.4 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023. Finally, the safety ambition for maternal mortality is to halve the 2010 rate by 2025, down to 5.3 maternal deaths per 100,000 maternities. The most recent figure is 12.8 maternal deaths per 100,000 maternities in 2021 to 2023.On 23 June 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced an independent, national investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care.We are also taking action now, including: a new Maternity Outcome Signalling System that will flag unusually high rates of term stillbirth, neonatal death, and brain injury to prompt rapid review of any safety concerns; developing a Maternal Care Bundle to tackle the main causes of maternal death and harm; and piloting Martha’s Rule in maternity and neonatal units in 14 trusts in six regions.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making the National Bereavement Care Pathway training mandatory for all healthcare professionals that come into contact with families experiencing (a) pregnancy loss and (b) the death of a baby.

All trusts in England are signed up to the National Bereavement Care Pathway, with the aim to ensure that all bereaved parents are offered equal, high quality, individualised, safe, and sensitive care.Training is the responsibility of individual trusts, overseen by their integrated care boards, so NHS England does not mandate its adoption.There is ongoing work between NHS England and Sands, the national charity for baby loss awareness who support families with baby loss, to explore the next steps for the pathway, and we will update in due course.Many trusts have specialist bereavement midwives, who are trained to care for and support parents and families who have suffered from the loss of their baby. Bereavement midwives are responsible for offering immediate and long-term emotional support, information, and practical guidance, at a time of great difficulty and sadness.

If he will review the inclusion of hormone replacement therapy within the prescription charge exemption list.

While there are no plans to review the inclusion of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) within the prescription charge exemption list, the HRT prescription pre-payment certificate is available for patients who are prescribed HRT on the National Health Service. The price of the HRT prescription pre-payment certificate (PPC) is the equivalent of two single prescription charges, currently £19.80, and covers all qualifying prescribed HRT medicines for the 12-month period of its validity, representing significant saving for patients compared to the single prescription charge. In financial year 2024/25, approximately 13.3 million HRT items were dispensed without charge, either because they were covered by the HRT PPC or the patient held an exemption from prescription charges.There are over 70 HRT products, and the majority are in good supply. We are aware of shortages affecting Estradot (estradiol) patches. We are engaging with the supplier to expedite deliveries. We have issued guidance to healthcare professionals and Serious Shortage Protocols to enable community pharmacists to supply specified alternative estradiol patches.We will also be asking local authorities to include menopause in the NHS Health Check from 2026. This will support eligible women from across England to access high quality information on the menopause, including advice on managing symptoms and where to seek support.Further data on HRT prescriptions is available via the NHS Business Services Authority at the following link:https://nhsbsa-opendata.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/hrt/hrt_June_2025_v001.html

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) availability and (b) affordability of hormone replacement therapy; and what steps he is taking to reduce regional disparities in access to menopause-related healthcare.

While there are no plans to review the inclusion of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) within the prescription charge exemption list, the HRT prescription pre-payment certificate is available for patients who are prescribed HRT on the National Health Service. The price of the HRT prescription pre-payment certificate (PPC) is the equivalent of two single prescription charges, currently £19.80, and covers all qualifying prescribed HRT medicines for the 12-month period of its validity, representing significant saving for patients compared to the single prescription charge. In financial year 2024/25, approximately 13.3 million HRT items were dispensed without charge, either because they were covered by the HRT PPC or the patient held an exemption from prescription charges.There are over 70 HRT products, and the majority are in good supply. We are aware of shortages affecting Estradot (estradiol) patches. We are engaging with the supplier to expedite deliveries. We have issued guidance to healthcare professionals and Serious Shortage Protocols to enable community pharmacists to supply specified alternative estradiol patches.We will also be asking local authorities to include menopause in the NHS Health Check from 2026. This will support eligible women from across England to access high quality information on the menopause, including advice on managing symptoms and where to seek support.Further data on HRT prescriptions is available via the NHS Business Services Authority at the following link:https://nhsbsa-opendata.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/hrt/hrt_June_2025_v001.html

How much funding his Department plans to provide for primary care services in each of the next three years.

The Department’s settlement was announced at the 2025 Spending Review. The details of Spending Review budget allocations, inclusive of primary care services, within departments is still being determined for 2026/27 and we are working to provide the detail and certainty needed on future funding and spending plans. The budget allocations for 2027/28 and 2028/29 will be determined through the business planning rounds for the corresponding years and will tie back to the 2025 Spending Review settlement.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) increase capacity and (b) reduce inequalities in accessing respiratory diagnoses.

The Government is committed to increasing the capacity of respiratory services and is improving access to these services through new community diagnostic centres (CDCs).All standard and large CDCs are required to offer diagnostic respiratory tests such as spirometry and full lung function tests as part of their core testing offer.The 2025/26 capital guidance confirmed that £1.65 billion of capital funding is being allocated to support National Health Service performance across secondary and emergency care across 2025/26 more broadly. This includes funding to enable the completion of 2024/25 CDC schemes, as well as to expand existing and build new CDCs.

If he will take steps to ensure that people can see a GP within (a) seven days and (b) within 24 hours if it is urgent.

We are committed to ensuring that patients can access digital consultations within 24 hours, recognising the significance of timely care for all.Under the current GP Contract, practices are required to ensure that anyone needing an appointment at a general practice is offered one within two weeks, with those requiring urgent attention being seen on the same day.We expect practices to offer patients an appropriate response on the day they contact the practice, according to the urgency of their clinical needs. There are various forms this response could take, and an appointment will not be required in all cases.In August 2025, 44.4% of all appointments were delivered on the same day as they were booked. This is up 0.7% since August 2024. 87.7% of appointments not usually booked in advance were delivered within two weeks of booking.

What steps his Department is taking to recruit dentists into the NHS.

We are determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry, but it will take time and there are no quick fixes. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions.To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists. The Government’s ambition is to deliver fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.Integrated care boards are recruiting more dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.As announced in our 10-Year Health Plan, the Government will make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period, intended to be at least three years. That will mean more NHS dentists and more NHS appointments.We will also publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan and ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.

What information his Department holds on the number of people who were seen by a GP in (a) September and (b) October 2025.

NHS England collects and publishes statistics on the total number of general practice (GP) appointments delivered each month. This data is published one month in arrears in order to allow for sufficient time for all appointment records to be collated, validated, and quality assured. As a result, data for October will be available at the end of November. For context, in September 2025, 32 million appointments were delivered, 14 million of which were delivered by GPs, or 43%. In August 2024, 27 million appointments were delivered, with 12 million provided by GPs, also 44%.

Whether the forthcoming national cancer plan will include specific (a) targets and (b) actions for (i) brain, (ii) liver, (iii) lung, (iv) oesophageal, (v) pancreatic and (vi) stomach cancer.

Reducing the number of lives lost to cancer is a key aim of the National Cancer Plan. Having consulted with key stakeholders and patient groups, I confirm that the plan will be published early in the new year. The plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for patients with cancer, including less survivable cancers, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.The Department has been working with members of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce as part of the development of the plan to identify how to improve diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for less survivable cancers, which includes lung, pancreatic, liver, brain, oesophageal, and stomach cancer.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that people with liver (b) cirrhosis, (b) advanced liver disease and (c) those at high risk of liver cancer receive systematic (i) surveillance and (ii) early diagnosis.

As part of a program to transform liver disease outcomes we will work with partners, including the British Liver Trust, to raise awareness and address the stigma related to hazardous and harmful levels of alcohol use, obesity, and viral hepatitis, which are key drivers of liver disease.We will improve early detection of liver disease by developing best practice diagnostic pathways for primary care with agreed common referral thresholds. This includes exploring innovative approaches to increasing early detection, such as Intelligent Liver Function Testing, and improving access to treatments for liver disease, thereby tackling health inequalities in relation to access, uptake, patient experience, and outcomes.We will continue to reach out to the communities that are worst affected by liver disease through the Community Liver Health Checks programme to proactively identify people with undiagnosed liver disease, who are suitable for liver cancer surveillance. The number of mobile liver scanning teams has almost doubled in the last two years. Over 100,000 people have had a fibroscan of their liver, and over 8,000 have been referred on for vital liver cancer checks since the programme began.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has announced that a National Cancer Plan for England will be published in the new year. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer, including for liver cancer. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next 10 years.

Whether his Department plans to launch public awareness campaigns to promote earlier recognition of (a) liver disease and (b) liver cancer symptoms.

Awareness of liver disease can be raised by providing information to the public and by supporting health and care professionals to discuss liver disease with their patients. The NHS.UK website provides the public with essential information on the types of liver disease, their possible causes, symptoms, treatment, and prevention. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/liver-disease/NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns in England to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point, including abdominal cancers.NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including liver cancer. This information can be found at sources like the NHS.UK website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/