Written questions by McMurdock.

What progress his Department has made on reducing waiting lists for planned care in Essex.

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission. We will deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, equivalent to 40,000 per week, in our first year, as part of our commitment to ensuring patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks across the whole country, including in Essex.There are three integrated care boards (ICBs) that border Essex: Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB, Mid and South Essex ICB and Suffolk and North East Essex ICB. The total Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting List across these ICBs has decreased by 44,786 or 7.9% between 31 August 2023 and 31 August 2024.

What steps he is taking to improve palliative and end of life care in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB), including Mid and South Essex ICB, which covers the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency, must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.NHS England has also developed a palliative and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative and end of life care needs of those their local population, thereby enabling ICBs to put plans in place to address and track the improvement of health inequalities.I recently met NHS England and discussions have begun on how to reduce inequalities and variation in access to, and the quality of, palliative and end of life care. We are also in active discussions with NHS England about maintaining the £25 million of annual funding for children and young people’s hospices in 2025/26, with further information to follow in due course.Additionally, we have committed to develop a 10-year plan, to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, as part of which we will carefully be 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 stakeholders as we develop the plan. More information about how they can input into the 10 Year Health Plan is available at the following link:http://change.nhs.uk

What steps his Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of dentists in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

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. We are exploring how we can better support the whole dental team to work in NHS dentistry.To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists. The NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board was allocated three posts from the dental recruitment incentive scheme. Of these, two posts have so far been successfully filled. Further information on the dental recruitment incentive scheme is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/dental-recruitment-incentive-scheme-2024-25/

How many people are employed by NHS England in roles relating to equality, diversity and inclusivity.

There are 34 individuals out of around 16,000 full-time equivalent staff who are employed by NHS England in roles relating to equality, diversity and inclusivity. NHS England provides services that are available for all, and good equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) principles ensure that everyone can access healthcare.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve palliative care.

The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure that patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift.Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.I recently met NHS England and discussions have begun on how to reduce inequalities and variation in access to, and the quality of, palliative and end of life care. We are also in active discussions with NHS England about maintaining the £25 million of annual funding for children and young people’s hospices in 2025/26, with further information to follow in due course.Additionally, we have committed to develop a 10-year plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, by driving three shifts in the way health care is delivered. We will carefully be 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 stakeholders as we develop the plan.More information about how members of the public, patients, healthcare staff and stakeholder organisations can input into the 10-Year Health Plan is available at the following link:https://change.nhs.uk/

What steps he is taking to prevent health tourism to the UK.

The National Health Service is a residency-based system, so only those who are ‘ordinarily resident’ in the United Kingdom, or otherwise exempt from charges under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015 (the Charging Regulations), are eligible for free care.Being ordinarily resident broadly means living here on a lawful and properly settled basis for the time being, with individuals subject to immigration control also requiring ‘indefinite leave to remain’ in the UK.Patients who are not ordinarily resident or subject to another exemption under the Charging Regulations are legally required to be charged upfront, in full, for all treatment not regarded as urgent or immediately necessary. Overseas visitors accessing NHS care whilst here are expected to have insurance or funds to cover the cost of any treatment which may arise, as would be the same for UK residents visiting other countries.Failure to pay NHS debt can lead to significant consequences for an overseas visitor. An outstanding NHS debt of £500 or more that has not been paid for two months must be reported to the Home Office. The Home Office can use this information to inform future immigration decisions.

What plans he has to support the Mid and South Essex NHS Trust.

The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is in segment four of the NHS Oversight Framework. This means that the trust has been in receipt of national mandated support via NHS England’s Recovery Support Programme (RSP) since April 2024. NHS England’s National Recovery Support team is working closely with the trust and region to ensure delivery of improvements. We are working closely with NHS England to monitor the situation.

What assessment he has made of the impact of above average waiting times for GP appointments on patient health outcomes.

We recognise the potential impact that above-average waiting times for general practice (GP) appointments will have on patient health. The GP contract requires practices provide patients with an appropriate response on the day they make contact, based on the urgency of their clinical needs. It also stipulates that patients requiring an appointment within two weeks must be accommodated, and those with urgent needs should be seen on the same day.As highlighted in Lord Darzi’s review, timely access to care and the quality of treatment are fundamental to the social contract between the National Health Service and the public. The NHS is in crisis, and the Government is committed to addressing this crisis through reform and investment.

What steps he is taking to improve (a) neonatal care for and (b) support for the parents of premature babies.

We are committed to improving neonatal services and supporting parents to be involved in all aspects of their baby's care. NHS England is implementing the Neonatal Critical Care Review Recommendations, investing £45 million in increasing neonatal cot capacity and assigning care coordinators for all Neonatal Operational Delivery Networks to implement care programmes, improving parent and family experiences. NHS England’s Three year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services sets out a programme of work to make maternity and neonatal care safer, more equitable, and more personalised. This plan includes:increasing the neonatal workforce;implementing an updated Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle of interventions to reduce the number of still births and pre-term births;commissioning a Patient Report Experience Measure to understand the experiences of families in neonatal services;establishing Maternity and Neonatal Voice Partnerships to champion the voices of parents in decision making; andsupporting parents’ mental health through Maternal Mental Health Services which provide psychological therapy for women experiences mental health difficulties related to maternity experience.Additionally, NHS England has recently concluded a review of neonatal estates. They are in the process of analysing the findings, which will be used to inform the next steps.

What steps she plans to take to reduce wait times for GP appointments in Thurrock.

We know that patients are finding it harder than ever to see a general practitioner (GP) and we are committed to fixing the the crisis in GPs to secure the long-term sustainability of the National Health Service.Our plan to restore GPs and improve the waiting times to see a GP will require both investment and reform. We have already invested £82 million to recruit over 1,000 newly qualified GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement scheme, which will continue to increase the capacity in GPs, as well as take pressure off those currently working in the system. We have committed to train thousands more GPs and to finally end the 8:00am scramble for GP appointments by introducing a modern booking system.

What steps his Department is taking to provide suicide prevention support for young adults.

We will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health workers, and these new staff will be specially trained to support people at risk of suicide. The five-year Suicide Prevention Strategy for England identifies young people as a priority area for action to reduce suicides, and we will explore opportunities to go further.The Department continues to provide funding to a wide range of national and local voluntary and community organisations to support their work on suicide prevention through the £10 million Suicide Prevention Grant Fund, which runs to March 2025. This includes PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide, who play an important role in supporting young people at risk of mental ill health and suicide.