Written questions by Morgan.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on this years’ planned revision of the Long-Term Workforce Plan.

The Government has committed to publishing a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again. No set date has been agreed for publication, as the wider work of the 10-Year Health Plan and the forthcoming Spending Review will influence the timing of the revised workforce plan later this year.Sir Jim Mackey will lead the transition team bringing the work of NHS England and the Department together over the next two years. This work will not impact the forthcoming publication of the 10-Year Health Plan and the subsequent reconsideration of the long-term workforce needs of the National Health Service, which will follow.The curricula for postgraduate training are set by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges for foundation training, and by individual royal colleges and faculties for specialty training. The General Medical Council approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme.NHS England launched an extensive engagement and listening exercise to help shape the future of postgraduate medical training in February. The review will: hear about best practice; listen to concerns, including issues around training pathways and the capacity, quality, and inclusivity of training; and explore ideas and thoughts about how postgraduate medical training could evolve for the future. An engagement exercise will run through to June this year, with findings reported in the summer.

Whether the revised Long-Term Workforce Plan will contain guidance on how the NHS will (a) train and (b) supervise new doctors.

The Government has committed to publishing a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again. No set date has been agreed for publication, as the wider work of the 10-Year Health Plan and the forthcoming Spending Review will influence the timing of the revised workforce plan later this year.Sir Jim Mackey will lead the transition team bringing the work of NHS England and the Department together over the next two years. This work will not impact the forthcoming publication of the 10-Year Health Plan and the subsequent reconsideration of the long-term workforce needs of the National Health Service, which will follow.The curricula for postgraduate training are set by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges for foundation training, and by individual royal colleges and faculties for specialty training. The General Medical Council approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme.NHS England launched an extensive engagement and listening exercise to help shape the future of postgraduate medical training in February. The review will: hear about best practice; listen to concerns, including issues around training pathways and the capacity, quality, and inclusivity of training; and explore ideas and thoughts about how postgraduate medical training could evolve for the future. An engagement exercise will run through to June this year, with findings reported in the summer.

When the revised Long-Term Workforce Plan will be published.

The Government has committed to publishing a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again. No set date has been agreed for publication, as the wider work of the 10-Year Health Plan and the forthcoming Spending Review will influence the timing of the revised workforce plan later this year.Sir Jim Mackey will lead the transition team bringing the work of NHS England and the Department together over the next two years. This work will not impact the forthcoming publication of the 10-Year Health Plan and the subsequent reconsideration of the long-term workforce needs of the National Health Service, which will follow.The curricula for postgraduate training are set by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges for foundation training, and by individual royal colleges and faculties for specialty training. The General Medical Council approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme.NHS England launched an extensive engagement and listening exercise to help shape the future of postgraduate medical training in February. The review will: hear about best practice; listen to concerns, including issues around training pathways and the capacity, quality, and inclusivity of training; and explore ideas and thoughts about how postgraduate medical training could evolve for the future. An engagement exercise will run through to June this year, with findings reported in the summer.

What guidance he has issued to integrated care boards on reasonable running costs per had of population.

As part of the necessary changes to support the National Health Service to recover, NHS England has indicated that integrated care boards (ICBs) should reduce their running cost allowance by 50%. The Government is supportive of NHS England’s decision and the necessary choices that are needed to get the NHS back on its feet. We expect ICBs to continue to deliver their responsibilities, including the planning and delivery of health and care services in community diagnostic centres.ICBs are asked to develop plans by the end of May setting out how they will manage their resources to deliver across their priorities. NHS England will be working closely with the ICBs to support the development of these plans, ensuring that their implementation reduces duplication whilst supporting patient care. Further information is available in the letter at the following link:NHS England » Working together in 2025/26 to lay the foundations for reform

When he expects the functional output of the Model ICB work to be published.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a critical role to play as strategic commissioners, improving population health, reducing inequalities, and ensuring access to high quality care. NHS England has circulated a draft of The Model ICB - blueprint document to all ICBs, to assist them in shaping their future plans, including which functions they should focus on, as indicated in Sir James Mackey’s letter to National Health Service trusts, foundation trusts, and ICBs, which is available at the following link:NHS England » Working together in 2025/26 to lay the foundations for reform

Whether he plans to reduce the number of integrated care boards in England.

As part of the necessary changes to support the National Health Service to recover, NHS England has indicated that integrated care boards (ICBs) should reduce their running cost allowance by 50%. The Government is supportive of NHS England’s decision and will work with NHS England to make the necessary choices that are needed to get the NHS back on its feet. We expect ICBs to continue delivering their responsibilities, including the planning and delivery of health and care services.ICBs are asked to develop plans by the end of May setting out how they will manage their resources to deliver across their priorities. NHS England will be working closely with the ICBs to support the development of these plans, ensuring that the implementation of these reduces duplication whilst supporting patient care. Further information is available at the following link:NHS England » Working together in 2025/26 to lay the foundations for reform

What steps he is taking to reduce the prevalence of infant brain injuries at childbirth.

The Department has invested £7.8 million to develop the Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth programme, which will reduce the number of avoidable brain injuries that occur during childbirth. This will be implemented by NHS England and will provide staff with the tools and training to identify, intervene, and manage obstetric emergencies, as well as better identify signs that a baby is showing distress during labour.Additionally, the Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations (MNSI) Programme investigates certain cases of potential severe brain injury that occur in the first seven days of life. The MNSI investigations seek to improve maternity safety and reduce the prevalence of adverse outcomes through providing learning to the health system via reports at a local, regional, and national level.

What information he holds on (a) rates of diabetic foot screening and (b) diabetes-related lower limb amputations by (i) region and (ii) other local areas.

NHS England continues to deliver the National Diabetes Audit (NDA) and provide footcare data, which is available in the NDA Core and National Diabetes Footcare Audit data dashboards, at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/clinical-audits-and-registries/national-diabetes-audit/dashboardsA trend of improvement in foot surveillance is evidenced by the NDA’s core data for 2023/24, showing that the percentage of people with type 1 diabetes who received general practice foot checks in England reached 70.6%, versus 67.2% in 2022/23. The proportion of people with type 2 diabetes who received foot check examinations in 2023/24 was 81.3%, up from 78.8% in 2022/23.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Quality and Outcomes Framework guidance in ensuring appropriate management of patients with diabetes.

The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) 2024/25 includes indicators for the effective control and management of diabetes. Performance improvements associated with the indicators in the QOF are seen in improvements in the care and management of diabetes.Annual diabetes reviews are associated with reduced emergency admissions, amputations, retinopathy, and mortality. Following a significant decrease in routine care delivery associated with the pandemic, the proportion of people with type 1 diabetes receiving all eight care processes had recovered back to 43.3% in 2023/24, and 62.3% for type 2 diabetes. This is comparted to 27% and 37% for 2020/21, respectively.The National Diabetes Audit core data for 2023/24 shows a steady trend of improvement in foot surveillance. The audit shows that the percentage of people with type 1 diabetes who received general practice foot checks in England reached 68.9%, versus 67.2% in 2022/23. The proportion of people with type 2 diabetes who received foot check examinations in 2023/24 was 81.3%, up from 78.8% in 2022/23. The foot check is financially incentivised via the QOF, and this is an important lever for maintaining high quality foot care.

What steps he is taking to help increase rates of diabetic foot screening in (a) North Shropshire constituency and (b) England.

The NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Primary Care team continues to work with practices and primary care networks (PCNs) to improve the access to low-risk diabetic foot screening, as well as with its providers to ensure timely access to medium- and high-risk foot screening. The integrated care system is in the process of transforming its diabetes care pathway to ensure high quality, consistent care, closer to home for those with, or at risk of, diabetes across Shropshire, Telford, and Wrekin, which includes access to diabetic foot screening.Whilst levels of diabetic foot screening across six of our nine PCNs are above the average levels for England, at 51.2% to 64.5% against an average for England of 46.9%, the integrated care board recognises that this is not universally the case, particularly in North Shropshire, where two of the three PCNs achieving below the average for England are situated, at 18.2% to 37.6%. These statistics are available in the National Diabetes Audit 2024/25 Quarterly Report April 2024 to December 2024.

What estimate his Department has made of the potential change in the number of (a) contracted staff and (b) bank and agency staff in the NHS in 2025-26.

The Department has made no specific estimate of the change in contracted National Health Service staff, bank and agency staff, corporate functions staff, or those in other functions in NHS trusts in England over the 2025/26 financial year, beyond the position outlined in the 2025/26 NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance. This guidance set out that integrated care boards and NHS trusts must:- reduce agency expenditure, as far as possible, as part of optimising costs and productivity. As a minimum, all systems are expected to deliver a 30% reduction based on current spending, with further reductions over this Parliament;- reduce bank use, with all systems expected to deliver a minimum 10% reduction. Bank rates should be optimised as far as possible; and- conduct a robust review of establishment growth and reduce spend on support functions to April 2022 levels. The Department and NHS England will continue to work with systems to develop plans that are affordable within the allocations set, exhausting all opportunities to improve productivity and tackle waste, and take decisions on how to prioritise resources to best meet the health needs of their local population.The Department does not hold information on the number of NHS trusts who may be planning to reduce the number of staff employed in non-corporate functions.

How many NHS trusts have informed his Department that they plan to reduce the number of staff employed for non-corporate functions.

The Department has made no specific estimate of the change in contracted National Health Service staff, bank and agency staff, corporate functions staff, or those in other functions in NHS trusts in England over the 2025/26 financial year, beyond the position outlined in the 2025/26 NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance. This guidance set out that integrated care boards and NHS trusts must:- reduce agency expenditure, as far as possible, as part of optimising costs and productivity. As a minimum, all systems are expected to deliver a 30% reduction based on current spending, with further reductions over this Parliament;- reduce bank use, with all systems expected to deliver a minimum 10% reduction. Bank rates should be optimised as far as possible; and- conduct a robust review of establishment growth and reduce spend on support functions to April 2022 levels. The Department and NHS England will continue to work with systems to develop plans that are affordable within the allocations set, exhausting all opportunities to improve productivity and tackle waste, and take decisions on how to prioritise resources to best meet the health needs of their local population.The Department does not hold information on the number of NHS trusts who may be planning to reduce the number of staff employed in non-corporate functions.

What estimate his Department has made of the potential change in the number of staff employed in (a) corporate and (b) other functions in the NHS in 2025-26.

The Department has made no specific estimate of the change in contracted National Health Service staff, bank and agency staff, corporate functions staff, or those in other functions in NHS trusts in England over the 2025/26 financial year, beyond the position outlined in the 2025/26 NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance. This guidance set out that integrated care boards and NHS trusts must:- reduce agency expenditure, as far as possible, as part of optimising costs and productivity. As a minimum, all systems are expected to deliver a 30% reduction based on current spending, with further reductions over this Parliament;- reduce bank use, with all systems expected to deliver a minimum 10% reduction. Bank rates should be optimised as far as possible; and- conduct a robust review of establishment growth and reduce spend on support functions to April 2022 levels. The Department and NHS England will continue to work with systems to develop plans that are affordable within the allocations set, exhausting all opportunities to improve productivity and tackle waste, and take decisions on how to prioritise resources to best meet the health needs of their local population.The Department does not hold information on the number of NHS trusts who may be planning to reduce the number of staff employed in non-corporate functions.

What estimate his Department has made of the cost of redundancies in the NHS in 2025-26.

The Prime Minister has announced the integration of the Department and NHS England and the associated reduction in size, and NHS England has also set out separate ambitions of reducing integrated care board running costs as well as National Health Service trusts’ corporate costs. These reforms will deliver a more efficient, leaner centre, and will also free up capacity and help deliver significant savings of hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested into frontline services, to cut waiting times through the Government’s Plan for Change.Clearly these reforms will have workforce implications, and we are working closely with NHS England and HM Treasury to deliver these, however we do not yet have a robust estimate of costs for 2025/26. Discussions have been with NHS England at a national level, and not with individual integrated care boards or trusts.

How many (a) integrated care boards and (b) NHS trusts have contacted his Department to discuss the potential cost of redundancies since 1 January 2025.

The Prime Minister has announced the integration of the Department and NHS England and the associated reduction in size, and NHS England has also set out separate ambitions of reducing integrated care board running costs as well as National Health Service trusts’ corporate costs. These reforms will deliver a more efficient, leaner centre, and will also free up capacity and help deliver significant savings of hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested into frontline services, to cut waiting times through the Government’s Plan for Change.Clearly these reforms will have workforce implications, and we are working closely with NHS England and HM Treasury to deliver these, however we do not yet have a robust estimate of costs for 2025/26. Discussions have been with NHS England at a national level, and not with individual integrated care boards or trusts.

What proportion of the reduction in NHS waiting lists that took place between July and December 2024 was due to people (a) receiving the procedure they were on the waiting list for and (b) being removed from the waiting list because it was determined they no longer required the treatment.

Data is not held in the format requested.

When he plans to hold the first round of cross party talks on social care.

We are committed to building a national, cross-party consensus to create a fair and affordable adult social care system for all. This is why we have asked Baroness Casey of Blackstock to lead an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards building a National Care Service.As the commission is independent, Baroness Casey and her team are taking forward the arrangement of discussions with political parties.

For what reason cross-party talks on social care have not yet taken place.

We are committed to building a national, cross-party consensus to create a fair and affordable adult social care system for all. This is why we have asked Baroness Casey of Blackstock to lead an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards building a National Care Service.As the commission is independent, Baroness Casey and her team are taking forward the arrangement of discussions with political parties.

How many people came off an NHS waiting list without receiving treatment since September 2024; and what new (a) care pathways and (b) triaging policies his Department has introduced since July 2024.

A breakdown of the reasons for coming off the waiting list is not available in the aggregate monthly official statistics.There are a number of reasons why a patient may come off an NHS waiting list without receiving treatment including: the patient or their clinician initiating active monitoring; a decision being reached that no treatment is needed or no further contact required; the patient declining treatment; and the patient dying before treatment, including deaths unrelated to the condition the referral was made.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, set out key commitments to reform elective care, return to the constitutional standard of 92% of patients receiving treatment within 18 weeks, and build a sustainable National Health Service. This includes the commitment to transforming pathways, including: delivering at least 10 straight-to-test pathways by March 2026; opening CDCs 12 hours a day, seven days a week; ensuring all patients with long term conditions, who are on appropriate pathways, are offered Patient Initiated Follow-Up by March 2026; and undertaking pathway reform in five challenged specialties.The Plan also set a focus on increased delivery of Advice & Guidance and effective triage, with a new incentivised model for pre-referral Advice & Guidance going live in April 2025; and a commitment to develop an implementation toolkit for triage services by March 2026.

What steps she is taking through the 10 Year Health Plan to address (a) quality of care, (b) inadequate access and (c) rising demand in palliative and end of life care.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and families receive the care they need when and where they need it, including those who need palliative and end of life care.As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we have been carefully considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our partners, including the hospice sector.