Every parliamentary written question tabled by Helen Morgan this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 581–600 of 990 · this parliament
If he will publish a list of the bodies that will be abolished as part of the NHS 10 Year Plan.
The following organisations will be closed or their functions transferred as part of the 10-Year Health Plan:NHS England;Health Services Safety Investigations Body;National Guardian;Healthwatch England;local Healthwatch organisations; andCommissioning Support Units.
With reference to the NHS 10 Year Plan, where the 85 mental health crisis centres will be located; and what criteria he is using for determining their location.
The announced expansion of crisis assessment centres, also referred to as mental health emergency departments, builds on a number of early implementer sites that have been established in recent years by local health systems to provide a dedicated therapeutic alternative to emergency departments for individuals in a mental health crisis. Locations for the new centres are being identified through a capital allocation process, involving expressions of interest from integrated care boards and regionally and nationally coordinated assessments of local need, existing provision, and system readiness. The new centres will typically serve multiple emergency departments and will be accessible via NHS 111, ambulance conveyance, walk-in, or referral pathways.
With reference to page 110 of the document entitled Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for the NHS, whether his Department has made an estimate of how many fewer staff there will be in the NHS by 2035 than projected by the 2023 Long Term Workforce Plan.
This assessment will be made through the 10-Year Workforce Plan which will consider what the 10-Year Health Plan, which set out a new service model for the National Health Service, means for the workforce. Through the workforce plan we will ensure we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.Over summer and autumn 2025, we will work with systems and partners to consider future workforce and will publish the 10-Year Workforce Plan later this year.
How many GPs his Department intends to recruit over the course of the NHS 10 Year Plan.
The upcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it. We will train thousands more general practitioners (GPs) in the coming years, and through the course of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will increase the proportion of staff we train for community and primary care roles, as outlined in chapter 7.Our work has already begun. Between October 2024 and July 2025, we recruited 1,900 extra GPs in primary care networks through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. Separately, as of May 2025, 37,833 full time equivalent GPs are currently employed by practices, which is a 1.9% increase, or an increase by 691 GPs, compared to May 2024.
What steps she is taking to improve the reliability of train operators on the West Coast Mainline.
We are starting to see train performance stabilise, following a decade of decline. We are working with the rail industry on a Performance Restoration Framework, with five clear areas of focus to recover performance to acceptable levels, including timetable resilience, staffing and keeping trains safely moving during disruptive events. The Rail Minister is meeting with the Managing Directors of all train operators and their Network Rail counterparts, to address poor performance and demand immediate action to raise standards. Network Rail is undertaking a programme of renewal activity on the West Coast Main Line north of Crewe to improve the performance and reliability of the railway. This section of the route was last upgraded in the 1970s and suffers from performance issues today. We are also investing in increasing the capacity and capability of the power system at both ends of the West Coast Main Line to improve performance on the route, enable the introduction of new electric services, and support growth.
What steps she is taking to help reduce journey times on public transport between North Shropshire and London.
Department officials continue to work directly with train operators to ensure the best possible service for both passenger and taxpayer. For passengers travelling from Shropshire and changing to join services to London, Avanti West Coast increased the number of weekday services from 270 in 2024 to 295 from May 2025. Additional services now operate between London and Liverpool, Birmingham, North Wales and Glasgow providing more connections.
What funding her Department has provided to improve rail services in (a) North Shropshire and (b) Shropshire in each of the last five years.
The Department will review the refreshed Business Case for line speed improvements between Wolverhampton-Shrewsbury when it is completed later this year. Funding for this scheme would be subject to a satisfactory business case which represents value for money, affordability and strong benefits for the country.
If she will take steps to help ensure decisions about open access applications prioritise services that connect stations that do not have direct services.
Under the current system access decisions are solely for the ORR. We’re supportive of Open Access services where they encourage growth, improve connectivity and provide more choice for passengers. When a new application is received the DfT can submit its views to the ORR via a consultation process and we highlighted the new direct services that formed part of the Wrexham Shropshire & Midlands Railway (WSMR) application when we wrote in support of this application in February 2025.
What plans his Department has for the transition of (a) grant and (b) contract funding from NHS England to his Department; and whether he plans to continue existing levels of such funding for organisations led by (i) disabled people and (ii) patient-led charities.
Work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and to plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilities. Grants and contracts still held by NHS England at the point of transition will also legally transfer, or novate, to the Department. The ongoing need for these third-party arrangements will be assessed against policy objectives and funding availability, in line with our standard processes. Whilst this transformation takes place, we will ensure that we continue to comprehensively evaluate impacts, and will work collaboratively to put plans in place to prevent disruption to live funding streams.The Department publishes figures for NHS England’s annual expenditure on the purchase of healthcare from the voluntary and not for profit sectors in its Annual report and Accounts, and the figure for 2023/24 was £1.84 billion. Further information is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6761518bd20fc50099e18fab/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-2024-print-ready.pdfFor NHS England to identify just the registered and UK-registered charitable organisations it has grants and contracts with would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on the (a) operation and (b) funding of charities working in NHS hospital settings.
Work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and to plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilities. Grants and contracts still held by NHS England at the point of transition will also legally transfer, or novate, to the Department. The ongoing need for these third-party arrangements will be assessed against policy objectives and funding availability, in line with our standard processes. Whilst this transformation takes place, we will ensure that we continue to comprehensively evaluate impacts, and will work collaboratively to put plans in place to prevent disruption to live funding streams.The Department publishes figures for NHS England’s annual expenditure on the purchase of healthcare from the voluntary and not for profit sectors in its Annual report and Accounts, and the figure for 2023/24 was £1.84 billion. Further information is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6761518bd20fc50099e18fab/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-2024-print-ready.pdfFor NHS England to identify just the registered and UK-registered charitable organisations it has grants and contracts with would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.
How many registered charitable organisations were in receipt of NHS England (a) grants and (b) contracts in each of the last three financial years.
Work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and to plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilities. Grants and contracts still held by NHS England at the point of transition will also legally transfer, or novate, to the Department. The ongoing need for these third-party arrangements will be assessed against policy objectives and funding availability, in line with our standard processes. Whilst this transformation takes place, we will ensure that we continue to comprehensively evaluate impacts, and will work collaboratively to put plans in place to prevent disruption to live funding streams.The Department publishes figures for NHS England’s annual expenditure on the purchase of healthcare from the voluntary and not for profit sectors in its Annual report and Accounts, and the figure for 2023/24 was £1.84 billion. Further information is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6761518bd20fc50099e18fab/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-2024-print-ready.pdfFor NHS England to identify just the registered and UK-registered charitable organisations it has grants and contracts with would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.
What the total value was of NHS England (a) grants and (b) contracts awarded to UK-registered charitable organisations in each of the last three financial years.
Work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and to plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilities. Grants and contracts still held by NHS England at the point of transition will also legally transfer, or novate, to the Department. The ongoing need for these third-party arrangements will be assessed against policy objectives and funding availability, in line with our standard processes. Whilst this transformation takes place, we will ensure that we continue to comprehensively evaluate impacts, and will work collaboratively to put plans in place to prevent disruption to live funding streams.The Department publishes figures for NHS England’s annual expenditure on the purchase of healthcare from the voluntary and not for profit sectors in its Annual report and Accounts, and the figure for 2023/24 was £1.84 billion. Further information is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6761518bd20fc50099e18fab/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-2024-print-ready.pdfFor NHS England to identify just the registered and UK-registered charitable organisations it has grants and contracts with would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of differing NHS (a) targets and (b) waiting lists in England and Wales on patients living in border communities.
The devolution of health is a long-standing policy, and no assessment has been made.For patients living in border communities, we expect local health care services to work closely to ensure differing targets and waiting lists are managed appropriately and effectively to meet the needs of the communities they serve.We work closely with partners across the devolved administrations to provide support and share best practice to reduce waiting lists. This includes sharing learning as the National Health Service in England makes progress toward delivering the Government’s ambition of ensuring that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, in line with the NHS constitutional standard, by March 2029.The Government has now exceeded its pledge to deliver two million extra operations, scans, and appointments in England, having delivered 4.2 million additional appointments.
What discussions he has had with colleagues in the Department for Transport on the potential impact of access to public transport on access to healthcare.
Ministers regularly engage with Cabinet colleagues on a variety of issues, including, but not limited to, areas impacting access to healthcare. As set out in the Plan for Change, by March 2029 we will deliver the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment. The Government is clear that reforming elective care must be done equitably and inclusively for all adults, children, and young people.It is important that patients do not miss or cancel hospital appointments due to a lack of affordable and/or accessible transport options in their area. This is why the Elective Reform Plan, published January 2025, committed to reviewing existing national health inequalities improvement initiatives, to develop them and increase their uptake. Specifically, the plan committed to reviewing local patient transport services and improving the signposting to, and accessibility of them for patients, to make it easier for vulnerable groups to travel to, and access appointments.This includes improving the accessibility, awareness, and efficiency of the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme, with a focus on reducing health inequalities and improving the patient experience.
What steps he is taking to ensure that patients who live in England and treated in Wales are impacted by changes to NHS organisation in England.
There are special cross-border arrangements for patients who live on the English-Welsh border to ensure that they receive healthcare without confusion or delay and that patient data can be accessed by relevant professionals.To drive reform of the health and care system, we are creating a new operating model for the health and care system, with a smaller, more agile centre. The changes will allow the national centre to operate very differently to the current arrangements and support delivery of the 10-Year Health Plan. Throughout this work we will retain focus on delivery, patient safety, and on driving reform across the whole of the health and care system.As part of these wider changes, NHS England has also asked integrated care boards (ICBs) to act primarily as strategic commissioners of health and care services and to reduce the duplication of responsibilities within their structure, with the expectation of achieving a reduction in their running cost allowance.ICBs have developed their plans in accordance with the guidance set out by the Model ICB Blueprint. NHS England is working with the ICBs to review and implement these plans. These plans should affirm the critical role of the ICBs as strategic commissioner, with their core functions centred in population health management, including understanding local context, developing a long-term strategy, allocating resources, and evaluating impact. ICBs, as strategic commissioners, continue to have the duty to arrange health services that meet the needs of their population and to manage cross-border arrangements.
Pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 62692 on Air Ambulance Services: Contracts, if he will take steps to establish which air ambulance organisations hold contracts with NHS organisations in England.
National Health Service contracts or agreements for the provision of services locally are made and held at a local level by the relevant NHS body. There are no current plans to change this approach.
When he plans to respond to Questions (a) 61929 tabled on 23 June, (b) 61928 tabled on 23 June and (c) 61005 tabled on 18 June 2025.
I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 1 July 2025 to Questions 61005 and 61928, and to the answer I gave on 7 July 2025 to Question 61929.
Innovation and Technology, if he will take steps to expedite the delivery of gigabit broadband to premises due to be covered by the Project Gigabit contract awarded to Freedom Fibre for north Shropshire.
Project Gigabit is designed to adapt if and when a contracted supplier can no longer complete its planned delivery.Building Digital UK (BDUK) is already working to put in place alternative solutions for premises in North Shropshire that require support from Project Gigabit. This is likely to involve the cross-regional contract with Openreach.BDUK will provide further information as these solutions develop over the next few months.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 60599 on Neighbourhood Plans, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the decision to end the commissioning of new neighbourhood planning support services on the ability of (a) town and (b) parish councils to develop neighbourhood plans.
As part of the Spending Review we’ve looked at all the services and programmes the government supports to identify those that should now be in a position to support themselves without ongoing funding. After more than a decade of taxpayer support, we believe that support for neighbourhood planning groups should be possible without further government funding. Parish and Town Councils have access to their own resources which they can choose to use for neighbourhood planning if they wish. With the end to the national structure for support, planning consultants should be able to innovate and offer groups lower cost support more targeted at their particular ambitions and needs.
Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Project Gigabit procurement process for (a) north Shropshire, (b) mid west Shropshire, (c) Cheshire, (d) west Herefordshire (e) Forest of Dean and (f) the Peak District.
All Project Gigabit contracts in all areas are awarded following a transparent, fair and robust procurement process, during which suppliers are required to prove they have the capability and capacity to meet their obligations.If this subsequently changes, suppliers are required to inform Building Digital UK, so that the delivery of Project Gigabit can be adapted accordingly.This is not always a simple process, as commercial operators’ plans and capacity vary, but the scheme is flexible.