Written questions by MacCleary.

What is the total cost per NHS funded trainee studying a taught doctorate programme for Clinical Psychologists over their university career.

Awaiting answer.

How many of those who have completed NHS funded trainee schemes studying taught doctorate programmes for Clinical Psychologists remain working in the NHS i) after one year, ii) after two years, iii) after five years, iv) after ten years, v) after fifteen years and, vi) after twenty years.

Awaiting answer.

What steps is his Department taking to ensure those who have completed NHS funded trainee schemes studying taught doctorate programmes for Clinical Psychologists stay working in the NHS.

Awaiting answer.

What was the total cost for all NHS funded trainees studying taught doctorate programmes for Clinical Psychologists in i) 2023, ii) 2024 and iii) 2025.

Awaiting answer.

What is the total cost per NHS funded trainee studying a taught doctorate programme for Clinical Psychologists over their university career, including Government-funded (a) tuition, (b) travel and (c) accommodation support.

Awaiting answer.

Whether his Department has considered New Zealand's retirement villages sector in developing policy on the future of the social care system in England.

We recognise the important role retirement villages play in providing high quality, safe, and suitable homes which can help people stay independent and healthy for longer and reduce the need to draw on health and social care provision. The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to support the development of suitable older people’s housing. We are aware of relevant international evidence in this area, including examples cited in the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report such as older people’s housing models in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.

What steps is he taking to help ensure that low-dose dispersible aspirin is (a) readily available and (b) affordable for those with heart conditions.

Low-dose dispersible aspirin is normally widely available at a relatively low price, without a prescription, from pharmacies. For example, a packet of 100 75milligram tablets can be purchased for approximately £2.10. Where aspirin is prescribed, there are extensive arrangements in place in England to ensure prescriptions are affordable for everyone, including for those with heart conditions. Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there is a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with chronic illnesses may be eligible.The Department is aware that a recent disruption in the supply of aspirin tablets occurred due to manufacturing problems and knock-on increased demand. These issues have now been addressed, and we are collaborating with suppliers to restore normal supply as soon as possible. Pharmacies are regularly able to order new stock as it becomes available.We continue to work with manufacturers and United Kingdom distributors to maximise supply to pharmacies and hospitals across the country. The Department is closely monitoring the situation and expects supplies to return to normal in the coming weeks.

What steps his Department is taking to support hospices in Lewes constituency.

While the majority of palliative care and end-of-life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, play a vital part in providing support to people at the end of their life, as well as their loved ones.The Government is providing £125 million in capital funding for eligible adult, and children and young people’s, hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. Of this, St Peter and St James Hospice is receiving £392,580, St Wilfrid’s Hospice in Eastbourne is receiving £793,464, and the Southern Hospice Group, which includes Chestnut Tree House Hospice and Martlets, is receiving £2,985,422, and together, these services support people in the Lewes constituency.Children and young people’s hospices in England are receiving an additional £26 million in revenue funding for 2025/26, of which Chestnut Tree House will receive £713,000.We have also recently announced the continuation of this funding, with approximately £80 million in revenue funding, to be provided over the next three years. I can confirm that Chestnut Tree House will receive £728,000 in 2026/27.Additionally, the Government is developing a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. It will drive improvements in access, quality, and sustainability, and support integrated care boards to commission high-quality, personalised care. Through our MSF, we will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end-of-life care services, and we will also consider contracting and commissioning arrangements.

What steps is his Department taking to help ensure hospices receive sufficient funding to carry out at home visits.

We have provided a £125 million capital funding boost for eligible adult, and children and young people’s, hospices in England.  This can be used by hospices to improve IT systems, making it easier for general practices and hospitals to share vital data on patients. It can also help hospices to develop and better their outreach services to support people in their own homes when needed. We are also providing £80 million for children’s and young people’s hospices in England over the next three financial years, giving them the stability to plan ahead and focus on what matters most, caring for their patients, whether that is on a hospice inpatient ward or in patients’ own homes. The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. We will consider contracting and commissioning arrangements as part of our MSF. We recognise that there is currently a mix of contracting models in the hospice sector. By supporting integrated care boards to commission more strategically, we can move away from grant and block contract models. In the long term, this will aid sustainability and help hospices’ ability to plan ahead. Officials are working closely with a number of stakeholders from the hospice sector in the development of the MSF.The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative and end of life care services, including hospices, will have a big role to play in that shift. The MSF will address the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community.

Whether he has had recent discussions with Sussex Integrated Care Board on its policy on access to fertility services.

No such discussions have taken place.Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. We expect these organisations to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guideline and will consider whether its current recommendations for access to National Health Service-funded treatment are still appropriate. The draft guidance was consulted on between 10 September and 21 October 2025, and final guidance is expected to be published in March 2026. We expect ICBs to consider and reflect the updated NICE fertility guideline in their commissioning decisions when it is published, and we are working with NHS England to support greater consistency in provision.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of limited spaces for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology on workforce diversity and access to the profession.

No assessment has been made. The Government is fully committed to attracting, training, and recruiting the mental health workforce of the future, including clinical psychologists.We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

How many clinical psychology training places were commissioned in each of the last five years, and how this compares to the number of applicants.

The following table provides the number of training places across the 28 training providers of Doctorates in Clinical Psychology in England over the past five years:Year20212022202320242025Places9011,0651,0661,0641,073Source: Clearing House, available at the following link: https://www.clearing-house.org.uk/In addition, the following table shows the data on places and unique applicants, as applicants can apply to more than one course, that are available in total across all English, Scottish, and Welsh courses:Year20212022202320242025Places9791,1551,1661,1641,179Unique Applicants4,5444,6554,9905,6035,910Applicants per Place4.64.04.34.85.0Source: Clearing House, available at the following link: https://www.clearing-house.org.uk/

Whether his Department is taking steps to implement the recommendations of the Independent ADHD Taskforce.

NHS England established an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) taskforce which brought together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing timely and equitable access to services and support. We are pleased that the taskforce's final report was published on 6 November, and we are carefully considering its recommendations.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.

What steps he is taking to help reduce waiting times for ADHD diagnoses.

The Government has recognised that, nationally in England, demand for assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan for England will make the National Health Service fit for the future, recognising the need for early intervention and support.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to ADHD assessment and treatment, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.NHS England established an ADHD taskforce which brought together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing timely and equitable access to services and support. We are pleased that the taskforce's final report was published on 6 November, and we are carefully considering its recommendations.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential cumulative impact of changes to (a) the National Living Wage, (b) employers' National Insurance contributions and (c) the recruitment of overseas social care workers on independent adult social care providers.

The Government took the cost pressures facing adult social care, including independent providers, into account as part of the wider consideration of local government funding at the Spending Review.The provisional Local Government Finance Settlement confirmed that the Government is making available approximately £4.6 billion of additional funding for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. This includes £500 million for the first-ever Fair Pay Agreement, the most significant investment in improving pay and conditions for adult social care staff to date.

If he will review the adequacy of the eligibility criteria for NHS-funded COVID-19 vaccinations for carers.

The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious illness, resulting in hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19.For autumn 2024, the JCVI advised that in an era of high population immunity to COVID-19 and all cases due to Omicron sub-lineages of the virus, any protection against transmission of infection from one person to another is expected to be extremely limited. These considerations informed the JCVI’s advice that unpaid carers, household contacts of the immunosuppressed, and frontline health and social care workers should no longer be offered vaccination to protect those they cared for from transmission.In their advice covering 2025 and spring 2026, the JCVI advised that population immunity to COVID-19 has increased due to a combination of naturally acquired immunity following recovery from infection and vaccine-derived immunity. COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for most people, though it can still be unpleasant, with rates of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 having reduced significantly since COVID-19 first emerged.The focus of the JCVI-advised programme has therefore moved towards targeted vaccination of the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality. These are the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed.The Government has accepted the JCVI advice for autumn 2025 and in line with the advice, a COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to the following groups:adults aged 75 years old and over;residents in care homes for older adults;  andindividuals aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed.The JCVI keeps all vaccination programmes under review.

What steps is his department taking to raise awareness of the warning signs of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome.

Under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is working to improve awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals, including rare conditions that lead to sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS).NHS England has a published the national service specification Cardiology: Inherited Cardiac Conditions (All Ages), which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cardiology-inherited-cardiac-conditions-all-ages/This outlines the service model and mandatory guidelines for commissioned providers in England to support the diagnosis and treatment of patients or families affected by inherited cardiac conditions or sudden cardiac death. NHS England is currently reviewing this service specification and is working with stakeholders as part of this review including NHS clinical experts and the British Inherited Cardiovascular Conditions Society. The NHS England Genomics Education Programme has also developed a range of educational resources for healthcare professionals.This includes a Knowledge Hub page on sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, including information on presentation, diagnosis, management, and links for clinicians to further resources. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.genomicseducation.hee.nhs.uk/genotes/knowledge-hub/sudden-arrhythmic-death-syndrome/

What steps he is taking to ensure his department’s contribution to the Fair Pay Agreement in adult social care will be passed on to independent adult social care employers.

We are introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement in 2028, backed by £500 million of funding to improve pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce.This £500 million of funding will be given to local authorities to support providers to improve pay, and terms and conditions through the Fair Pay Agreement. It represents the most significant investment in improving pay and conditions for adult social care staff to date.Negotiations between employee and employer representatives, including those from all types of providers, such as independent providers, will shape how this funding will be used to enhance pay, terms and conditions. The Government is committed to supporting commissioners to enable the successful delivery of the Fair Pay Agreement and we are exploring options for engagement to best inform our understanding of this.We also recognise that, in preparation for the first Fair Pay Agreement, commissioners and providers, will need time, support and guidance. We are committed to publishing guidance to support these groups, and our consultation seeks views from all providers, including independent providers, to ensure their perspectives are fully considered.

Whether his Department has made a recent assessment on the potential merits of allowing the use of prescribed medical cannabis within NHS buildings.

National Health Service trusts have a duty of care to both staff and patients, as outlined in the NHS constitution, to ensure a safe working and care environment. This will include local policies concerning the use and administration of a patient’s own medicines.The law was amended in 2018 to permit specialist doctors to prescribe unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use. While smoking these medicines is banned, vaping and other forms of administration are not prohibited. Regardless of the form of administration, it is always advisable for patients to declare any medicines prescribed, whether on the NHS or privately, and discuss them with their clinical team upon admission.

When members of the NHS Pensions Scheme will receive McCloud remedies.

The Department recognises the importance of providing NHS Pension Scheme members certainty about when they will receive their McCloud Remediable Service Statements.An independent review of the NHS Business Service Authority’s (NHSBSA) revised plans for the delivery of the McCloud remedy for NHS Pension Scheme members is underway. This will provide an additional level of scrutiny and assurance of the NHSBSA’s delivery plan and the timetable for the remaining statements.I expect to be able to update the House on the review’s progress and the remedy delivery timetable before Christmas recess.In the meantime, the NHSBSA continues to provide Remediable Service Statements to affected members, prioritising those who may be experiencing immediate financial hardship due to the discrimination highlighted by the McCloud judgment. Additionally, members who meet specific criteria can request to receive a prioritised Remediable Service Statement. Further information is available at the following link:https://faq.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/knowledgebase/article/KA-29429/en-usThe Government is committed to ensuring that affected members are not subject to financial disadvantage due to these delays. Pension arrears arising from the McCloud remedy are paid with 8% interest, and a compensation scheme is available for members who have experienced other direct financial losses.