Written questions by Morgan.

How many air ambulance organisations hold contracts with NHS organisations.

The Department does not hold this information.

What proportion of patients referred for diagnostic scans have been seen within six weeks in North Shropshire constituency each month since January 2020.

The Monthly Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity (DM01) dataset presents the current waiting times of patients on the waiting list for 15 key diagnostic tests or procedures at each month’s end. This can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/The attached table shows the proportion of patients that were waiting within six weeks from referral at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust for one of the 15 key diagnostic tests or one of the key imaging tests included in the DM01, each month since January 2020.Diagnostic checks are a key part of many elective care pathways. In April 2025, the latest published DM01, the diagnostic waiting list at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust was 12,957, of which 10,192, or 78.7%, were waiting within six weeks. This in an improvement since April 2024, when the waiting list stood at 13,849, with 9,819, or 70.9% of, patients waiting within six weeks.

Pursuant to Answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 60148 on Tomography: Waiting Lists, how much of the £6 billion in capital investment will be allocated to services in North Shropshire constituency.

The 2025 Spending Review confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective, and urgent care capacity. Further details and allocations, including for the Shropshire Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board (ICB), will be set out in due course.This £6 billion investment includes the previously announced £1.65 billion of capital for investments aimed at improving National Health Service performance against constitutional standards in 2025/26.Of this funding, the Shropshire Telford and Wrekin ICB and providers have been provisionally allocated £4 million to support NHS performance across secondary and emergency care in 2025/26.

If he will conduct a child rights impact assessment of the proposed merger of NHS England and his Department.

The Government is completely focused on delivery during this period of change, including taking forward our Health Mission and putting in place measures to raise the healthiest generation of children ever. It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, including those to children, as is due process. These ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate.The Government is committed to transparency and will consider how best to ensure that the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capacity of the NHS to contribute to the provisions for Multi Agency Child Protection Teams in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, introduced in Parliament on 17 December, will protect children at risk of abuse, by stopping vulnerable children from falling through the cracks in services. The bill will place a duty on local safeguarding partners to establish multi-agency child protection teams (MACPTs), aimed at strengthening the multi-agency child protection response to all types of harm. These teams will have a minimum membership, nominated by safeguarding partners, of a social worker, a police officer, a registered health practitioner, and a person with experience of education.MACPTs have been embedded in 10 local areas through the Families First for Children Pathfinders programme. Based on the learning from these pathfinders, the teams are being rolled out nationally through the Families First Partnership (FFP) programme, launched in April 2025. The FFP programme guide enables flexibility in the composition of MACPTs, which are designed according to local need.NHS England is supporting and learning from the nine integrated care boards (ICBs) currently working with the Families First for Children Pathfinders programme, which includes MACPTs. The national safeguarding leads are collaborating with the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care to profile how ICBs might implement MACPTs alongside local statutory partners, using Section 75 collaborative funding arrangements in order to optimise the Spending Review budget for the national rollout of the Families First Partnership programme and MACPTs.

What progress he has made on expanding the pharmacy workforce.

To support employers in developing their staff and delivering quality National Health Services, NHS England provides a number of fully funded national training opportunities for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. This includes independent prescriber training, clinical examination skills, and training the next generation of education supervisors.Later this year, we will publish a new workforce plan to ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

Whether he plans to commission new services from community pharmacy in the context of changes to supervision.

The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.Future decisions on service arrangements for community pharmacies beyond 2025/26 are subject to the current Spending Review. As is custom and practice, the Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes.

What steps he is taking to ensure that NHS providers remain accountable for discharging their statutory safeguarding duties for children following the closure of NHS England.

The Department and NHS England’s safeguarding officials already work as one team to ensure that ministerial decisions are informed by policy and clinical expertise, considering the distinct yet integrated layers of child safeguarding functions. Through the upcoming transformation of NHS England and its integration with the Department, we will ensure health services continue to deliver core services and statutory safeguarding duties.NHS England remains committed to supporting integrated, collaborative safeguarding arrangements that reflect statutory duties and local context. NHS England is actively engaging with safeguarding professionals across the system, including those in local government, integrated care boards (ICBs), and provider organisations, to ensure that safeguarding functions are not compromised amidst the upcoming changes. The frameworks and protocols outlining the expectations and accountability for safeguarding across National Health Service funded care continue to apply, with health services remaining accountable for safeguarding.The statutory safeguarding duties for children are imbedded in the NHS Safeguarding Accountability and Assurance Framework, and NHS England is working with all NHS providers and ICBs to ensure these statutory safeguarding functions are protected through the Model ICB programme.

Whether he plans to commission more adult vaccines from community pharmacy.

We are committed to increase vaccine uptake and improving access, including by exploring new and innovative delivery models to deliver vaccinations, as outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan for England.Community pharmacies already play a key role in delivering seasonal flu and COVID-19 vaccinations to adults, and we are exploring options to expand this offer to other vaccination programmes For example, in 2024, NHS England commissioned selected community pharmacies in the East of England to help deliver year-round respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programmes for pregnant women, to protect newborns, and adults aged between 75 and 79 years old. This is being expanded to support the maternal pertussis vaccination programme, and selected pharmacies in other regions have now also been commissioned to deliver these vaccines.Looking ahead, the 10-Year Health Plan sets out the Government’s ambition to expand the role of community pharmacy in prevention, including through the delivery of more National Health Service vaccination services. We will increase uptake of human papillomavirus vaccinations among younger adults who have left school including by making it available in pharmacies, supporting our aim to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 May to Question 50600 on Integrated Care Boards: Per Capita Costs and with reference to the NHS England publication entitled, Working together in 2025/26 to lay the foundations for reform, published on 1 April 2025, how many integrated care boards have signed-off plans that are affordable within the reduced running cost envelope.

Plans are still in development. NHS England is continuing to work closely with integrated care boards to support them in finalising plans that are deliverable within the reduced running cost envelope.

If he will take steps to establish mutual recognition schemes for dental qualifications with other countries.

The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dentistry in the United Kingdom. Only dentists and dental care professionals registered with the GDC can legally practise dentistry.As an independent regulator, it is for the GDC to determine the standards that must be met by domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to the dental register. Changes to the GDC’s legislation made in 2023 enable it to apply a range of assessment options in determining whether international dentist applicants have the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience for practice in the UK. This includes the ability to recognise overseas dentistry diplomas.The GDC is currently consulting on its 2026 to 2028 Corporate Strategy, in which it has stated that it will develop a comprehensive and accessible framework for registering overseas-qualified dental professionals, considering routes to registration in a holistic way. We will continue to encourage the GDC to make full use of the flexibilities that the 2023 legislation introduced when developing this framework.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of funding provided for social care in the Spending Review 2025, in the context of estimated demographic trends in the next three years.

The Government assessed the impact of the cost pressures facing adult social care as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process in 2025. This assessment took account of a range of factors, including demographic pressures, that could affect the delivery of social care services.The Spending Review process allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. This includes additional grant funding, growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care, and an increase to the National Health Service contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund, in line with the Department’s Spending Review settlement.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 June to Question 56902 on Integrated Care Boards: Redundancy, (a) how the costs of restructuring will be met and (b) when when the national redundancy scheme will be launched.

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the abolition of NHS England, we have been clear on the need for a smaller centre, as well as scaling back integrated care board running costs and National Health Service provider corporate costs reductions, in order to reduce waste and bureaucracy. Good progress is being made, with the Department and NHS England having announced voluntary exit or redundancy schemes. We have recently announced the Spending Review settlement, which provides an additional £29 billion of annual day to day spending in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. We are now carefully reviewing how the settlement is prioritised, including making provision for redundancy costs ahead of announcing further redundancy schemes.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of NHS dentists in North Shropshire.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the North Shropshire constituency, this is the NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB.ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The NHS Shropshire, Telford, and Wrekin ICB is expected to deliver 7,408 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.ICBs have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years. As of 6 June 2025, in England there were 93 dentists in post or appointed to post. A further 230 posts are currently being advertised.

If he will take steps with the General Dental Council to improve the registration process for dentists who qualified outside the UK.

The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dentistry in the United Kingdom. Only dentists and dental care professionals registered with the GDC can legally practise dentistry. As an independent regulator, it is for the GDC to determine the standards that must be met by domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to the dental register.Changes to the GDC’s legislation made in 2023 gave it greater flexibility to expand the registration routes for international applicants and improve its international registration processes, including additional flexibility in how it operates the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) and the ability to recognise overseas dentistry diplomas. New rules for the ORE made by the GDC under these reforms came into effect in March 2024.I have welcomed the additional sittings of both parts of the ORE that the GDC has put in place and its ongoing procurement of new ORE provider contracts. However, I recognise that there remains a considerable waiting list for candidates to sit the exam. I met with the GDC earlier in July 2025 and have asked it to urgently develop an action plan of concrete measures to reduce the ORE waiting list and will be regularly meeting with it to monitor progress with this plan.The GDC is currently consulting on its 2026-28 Corporate Strategy in which it has stated it will develop a comprehensive and accessible framework for registering overseas-qualified dental professionals, considering routes to registration in a holistic way. We will continue to encourage the GDC to make full use of the flexibilities that the 2023 legislation introduced when developing this framework.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the Overseas Registration Exam for dentists.

The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dentistry in the United Kingdom. Only dentists and dental care professionals registered with the GDC can legally practise dentistry. As an independent regulator, it is for the GDC to determine the standards that must be met by domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to the dental register.Changes to the GDC’s legislation made in 2023 gave it greater flexibility to expand the registration routes for international applicants and improve its international registration processes, including additional flexibility in how it operates the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) and the ability to recognise overseas dentistry diplomas. New rules for the ORE made by the GDC under these reforms came into effect in March 2024.I have welcomed the additional sittings of both parts of the ORE that the GDC has put in place and its ongoing procurement of new ORE provider contracts. However, I recognise that there remains a considerable waiting list for candidates to sit the exam. I met with the GDC earlier in July 2025 and have asked it to urgently develop an action plan of concrete measures to reduce the ORE waiting list and will be regularly meeting with it to monitor progress with this plan.The GDC is currently consulting on its 2026-28 Corporate Strategy in which it has stated it will develop a comprehensive and accessible framework for registering overseas-qualified dental professionals, considering routes to registration in a holistic way. We will continue to encourage the GDC to make full use of the flexibilities that the 2023 legislation introduced when developing this framework.

How many NHS dental positions have been advertised under the NHS Golden Hello Scheme; and how many of those have been accepted, by (a) region and (b) month since February 2024.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.We do not hold monthly breakdowns on how many National Health Service dental positions have been advertised under the Golden Hello scheme, but as of 6 June 2025, 73 dentists are in post. A further 20 dentists have been recruited but are yet to start in post under this scheme, and a further 230 posts are currently being advertised. ICBs continue to work with practices in their area to support recruitment to these posts.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the funding provided for local authority adult social care services in the Spending Review 2025.

The Government assessed the impact of the cost pressures facing adult social care as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process in 2025. This assessment took account of a range of factors that could affect the delivery of social care services.The Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. This includes additional grant funding, growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care, and an increase to the National Health Service’s contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund, in line with the Department’s Spending Review settlement.

If he will make an estimate of the potential impact of mutual recognition schemes on the average time taken to recruit dentists from overseas.

The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dentistry in the United Kingdom. Only dentists and dental care professionals registered with the GDC can legally practise dentistry. As an independent regulator, it is for the GDC to determine the standards that must be met by domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to the dental register.Changes to the GDC’s legislation made in 2023 gave it greater flexibility to expand the registration routes for international applicants and improve its international registration processes, including additional flexibility in how it operates the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) and the ability to recognise overseas dentistry diplomas. New rules for the ORE made by the GDC under these reforms came into effect in March 2024.I have welcomed the additional sittings of both parts of the ORE that the GDC has put in place and its ongoing procurement of new ORE provider contracts. However, I recognise that there remains a considerable waiting list for candidates to sit the exam. I met with the GDC earlier in July 2025 and have asked it to urgently develop an action plan of concrete measures to reduce the ORE waiting list and will be regularly meeting with it to monitor progress with this plan.The GDC is currently consulting on its 2026-28 Corporate Strategy in which it has stated it will develop a comprehensive and accessible framework for registering overseas-qualified dental professionals, considering routes to registration in a holistic way. We will continue to encourage the GDC to make full use of the flexibilities that the 2023 legislation introduced when developing this framework.

If he will make an estimate of the cost to the NHS of patient transfers from ambulance to A&E taking longer than 15 minutes in each of the last five financial years.

No estimate is currently planned. The Government recognises the pressures on the National Health Service and the impact this is having on ambulance response times, including in Shropshire.We are determined to turn things around, and our 10-Year Health Plan will be published in the summer, setting out major NHS reforms to move healthcare from the hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.The NHS Urgent and emergency care plan 2025/26, published on 6 June 2025, requires health systems to focus on those areas that are likely to have the biggest impact on urgent and emergency care services this year. The plan includes actions that will reduce category 2 ambulance response times to 30 minutes and reduce ambulance handovers to 45 minutes, helping to get 550,000 more ambulances back on the road.