Written questions by McMurdock.

Pursuant to Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 115668, what estimate he has made of the number of additional patients who will need to be treated within four hours in order to meet his target.

NHS England publishes data on the number of patients admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours in accident and emergency (A&E) departments on a monthly basis. The information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2025-26/March 2026 data will be published in April. However, in March 2025, there were 2.4 million total A&E attendances, and four hour performance was 75%. In order to meet 78% in March 2025, approximately 72,000 additional patients would have needed to wait less than four hours from arrival to admission, transfer, or discharge.The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out clear actions to deliver improvements this winter and beyond. We are aiming for 78% of patients to be seen in in four hours this year, meaning over 800,000 people will receive more timely care.We are investing £250 million into expanding same day and urgent care services, helping avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital and supporting faster diagnosis, treatment, and discharge for patients.

Pursuant to Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 115668, what proportion of the £250 million allocated to expand same day and urgent care services will be distributed to a) NHS trusts and b) ICBs.

NHS England is responsible for the operational delivery of the £250 million capital investment to continue expanding same day emergency care and co‑located urgent treatment centres.NHS England has confirmed that this funding will support 40 schemes in 2025/26, comprising 15 new services and 25 expansions. This includes ten new urgent treatment centres (UTCs) and four UTC expansions, alongside five new same day emergency care (SDEC) services and 21 SDEC expansions.The schemes were selected based on business cases submitted by National Health Service trusts who will draw down the funding directly.

Pursuant to Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 115668, what proportion of the £250 million investment in same day and urgent care services will be used to a) expand existing facilities and b) fund new services.

NHS England is responsible for the operational delivery of the £250 million capital investment to continue expanding same day emergency care and co‑located urgent treatment centres.NHS England has confirmed that this funding will support 40 schemes in 2025/26, comprising 15 new services and 25 expansions. This includes ten new urgent treatment centres (UTCs) and four UTC expansions, alongside five new same day emergency care (SDEC) services and 21 SDEC expansions.The schemes were selected based on business cases submitted by National Health Service trusts who will draw down the funding directly.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of current waiting times in accessing disability equipment on people’s ability to live independently.

No assessment has been made of the impact of waiting times in accessing disability equipment on independent living. Local authorities (LAs) in England have a statutory duty under the Care Act 2014, and the Children and Families Act 2014, to make arrangements for the provision of disability aids and community equipment, to meet the assessed eligible needs of individuals who are resident in their area. Some LAs deliver this themselves but a significant number have external contracts for an integrated community equipment service.Guidance to support the implementation of the Care Act 2014 states that community equipment, aids and adaptations can support reablement and promote independence contributing to preventing the needs for care and support.

Pursuant to Answer of 5 March 2026 to Question 115670, how many National Patient Safety Alerts have been issued in response to incidents originating in accident and emergency departments in the past three years.

In the period from 2023 to 2025, three full calendar years, the National Patient Safety Team issued seven National Patient Safety Alerts.Whilst none of those originated from a single incident occurring in an emergency department, one alert in January 2023 was issued in response to a general concern that increasing pressure on the urgent and emergency care system was impacting the delivery of oxygen therapy to patients in clinical areas. To optimise the safe delivery of oxygen via portable oxygen cylinders, an alert was issued by the National Patient Safety Team, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/2023/01/use-of-oxygen-cylinders-where-patients-do-not-have-access-to-medical-gas-pipeline-systems/The alert asked providers to review NHS England guidance and conduct a risk assessment for all patient escalation/transient areas without piped oxygen and for trust medical gas committees to review and act on findings. Further information on the guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Official-sensitive-Oxygen-Cylinder-Comms-24-Jan-2023-UPDATE.pdfCompliance with all National Patient Safety Alerts is overseen by the Care Quality Commission.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of accident and emergency waiting times on the incidence of reported patient harm.

The Government is committed to transparency in reporting patient harm in the National Health Service. The Learn from Patient Safety Events (LFPSE) service provides a national database of patient safety incidents, whereby frontline workers in NHS providers are able to record and analyse their own patient safety events to identify trends. NHS England reviews hundreds of incidents each week via LFPSE, looking for risks that can be acted on, including by issuing National Patient Safety Alerts and collaborating with partners to address issues identified.We recognise that urgent and emergency care performance has not consistently met expectations in recent years and are committed to restoring waiting time standards set out in the NHS Constitution by the end of this Parliament, as outlined in the Medium-Term Planning Framework, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/medium-term-planning-framework-delivering-change-together-2026-27-to-2028-29/NHS England has also published guidance on the Model Emergency Department, setting out core principles and pathways for high‑performing emergency departments, including a national model for extended emergency medicine ambulatory care to support faster decision‑making, improved patient flow and reduced overcrowding. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/the-model-emergency-department-high-performing-urgent-and-emergency-care-pathways/We are also taking action to tackle corridor care by introducing new reporting arrangements and are committing to publishing data on its prevalence for the first time, improving transparency and driving operational improvement. Where corridor care cannot be avoided, updated guidance has been published to support trusts to deliver it safely, while maintaining patient dignity and privacy, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/principles-for-providing-patient-care-in-corridors/

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of an ageing prison population on demand for healthcare services within prisons.

As a signatory to the National Partnership Agreement for Health and Social Care for people in contact with the criminal justice system, the Department of Health and Social Care is committed to working with the Ministry of Justice, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency to ensure safe, legal, decent and effective care that improves health outcomes and reduces health inequalities is provided for all prisoners, including those who are elderly.NHS England is responsible for providing a full range of healthcare services to meet the needs of the prison population. Every prison will have a health needs assessment undertaken on a regular basis which is then used to locally determine the health needs and requirements of that prison’s population. This includes supporting elderly prisoners on their palliative care, end of life care and other health needs such as dementia care. Local authorities also have a duty to support elderly prisoners with their social care needs.The Dying Well in Custody Charter and supporting self-assessment framework describes a set of national standards for local adoption and provides a tool for a local multi-disciplinary approach to providing agreed standards of palliative and end of life care to people in prison. The Charter is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/dying-well-in-custody-charter/

What proportion of funding from the Better Care Fund has been allocated to local systems in Essex.

The following table shows the 2026/27 Better Care Fund (BCF) allocations for Essex broken down by local authority:Local authorityBCF allocationProportion of overall BCFSouthend-on-Sea£31,301,8270.3%Thurrock£24,849,3170.3%Essex£219,500,8412.4%

How many a) nursing and b) residential care home beds have been lost in England due to provider closures in the past five years.

Over the past five years, 399 nursing homes registered with the Care Quality Commission have deactivated their locations in England. The following table shows the number of beds impacted (please note, this data does not include any data for new beds): YearBeds20213,77520224,13520234,07620243,46320252,371Total17,820 Over the past five years, 1,833 residential homes registered with the Care Quality Commission have deactivated their locations in England. The following table shows the number of beds impacted (please note, this data does not include any data for new beds): YearBeds20216,27520226,24420236,49120244,91620254,632Total28,558 The following table shows the total number of beds that have been impacted due to nursing home and residential home deactivations in England, over the past five years (please note, this data does not include any data for new beds): YearBeds202110,050202210,379202310,56720248,37920257,003Total46,378

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of social care workforce shortages on delayed discharges from hospitals in Essex.

The Department have made no assessment of the potential impact of social care workforce shortages on delayed discharges from hospitals in Essex.It is important that people are discharged promptly from hospital with the right support, both for their outcomes and to free up beds for other patients.The Government provides £9 billion through the Better Care Fund to be used jointly by the National Health Service and local authorities towards achieving agreed goals for reducing discharge delays.English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care.That is why we are committed to transforming adult social care and supporting adult social care workers, turning the page on decades of low pay and insecurity. That is why we plan to introduce 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.

What estimate he has made of the number of patients discharged from hospital to nursing or residential care placements outside their home local authority area due to local shortages of provision.

The Department does not hold an estimate of the number of patients discharged from hospital to nursing or residential care placements outside their home local authority area due to local shortages of provision. Local authorities have statutory responsibility for assessing and meeting eligible care needs and for arranging appropriate placements.Enabling people to be discharged from hospital more quickly and with the right support contributes to speedier recovery and better outcomes. In some instances, this may mean discharging a patient outside of their local area so that they can receive the most appropriate care after discharge.The Hospital Discharge and Community Support Guidance sets out that integrated care boards and local authorities should agree local arrangements to ensure that any decisions about the joint funding of care can be made swiftly. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hospital-discharge-and-community-support-guidance/hospital-discharge-and-community-support-guidanceThese arrangements should follow the Who Pays? guidance for services funded by the NHS, and reference ‘ordinary residence’ rules for services funded by local authorities, so that there is no adverse effect on timely discharge. The Who Pays? guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/who-pays/The Government provides £9 billion through the Better Care Fund (BCF) to be used jointly by the NHS and local authorities towards achieving agreed goals for reducing discharge delays. This February, the Government published guidance setting out new arrangements for the BCF. As well as supporting timely discharge from hospital, the BCF will also focus on services that help people regain independence and prevent avoidable admissions.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Better Care Fund on reducing hospital discharge delays caused by shortages in social care provision.

The Better Care Fund (BCF) provides around £9 billion in 2025/26 to support integrated planning between local authorities and integrated care boards, with reducing discharge delays identified as a key priority for local BCF plans.From 2026/27, the BCF is being reformed to support services that help people regain independence, such as intermediate care, rehabilitation and reablement services, prevent avoidable admissions, and support timely discharge from hospital. Over £9 billion will be committed to the BCF in 2026/27, and local systems will be expected to improve intermediate care by increasing capacity, ensuring services can meet demand, and strengthening both homebased and bed-based provision to reduce delays linked to social care provision.Whilst the Department has made no specific assessment of the potential impact of the BCF on reducing hospital discharge delays caused by shortages in social care, the Government recognises the importance of supporting more timely discharge.Previous research funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) has shown that the BCF helps reducing discharge delays though it did not specify whether these were caused by social care provision. More information is available at the following link:https://kar.kent.ac.uk/77827/1/bcf.pdfFrom August 2025, NHS England has started to publish data on the cost of discharge. This is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/discharge-delays/acute-discharge-situation-report/The publication includes the estimated cost of discharge delays due to capacity for people who have been in hospital seven days or longer. However, it is not possible to say whether the delays were caused by capacity constraints in social care, the National Health Service or elsewhere.This analysis does not include wider costs, such as opportunity cost of care foregone by not being able to admit other patients, or the cost to the patient themselves of being in an inappropriate setting. The estimates do not consider the alternative cost of providing health and care support to patients outside of the acute hospital setting if these patients were not delayed in hospital.

What the average waiting time is for patients referred to community healthcare services in England.

NHS England does not publish a single national average waiting time for patients referred to community healthcare services.Community healthcare services cover a wide range of different service types, with varying referral routes and urgency profiles, and waiting times can differ significantly depending on the service provided and the local area.NHS England publishes monthly data on community health service waiting lists, which show the number of patients waiting for care within defined time bands rather than an overall average. These data include the number of patients waiting zero to one weeks, one to two weeks, two to four weeks, four to 12 weeks, 12 to 18 weeks, 18 to 52 weeks, 52 to 104 weeks, and over 104 weeks, and are available at a national, regional, integrated care system, and provider level.The data indicates that over one million people are waiting for community health services in England, with waiting times varying widely by service type, age group, and geography. NHS England continues to improve the coverage and quality of community health services data to support transparency and service improvement.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to community healthcare services in rural areas.

Integrated care boards are responsible for the planning and commissioning of community health services. In doing so, integrated care boards (ICBs) must take into account the needs of their local population, which includes meeting the healthcare needs of their rural populations as part of the shift from hospitals to community.We know people are waiting too long for community health services. That is why, for the first time, we have set a clear target for systems to work to reduce long waits in NHS England’s Medium-Term Planning Framework.By 2028/29 at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks, bringing community health services in line with targets for elective care.In 2025, we published for the first time an overview of the core community health services, Standardising Community Health Services, that ICBs should consider when planning for their local populations to support improved commissioning and delivery of community health services, a vital part of neighbourhood health. Further guidance was published in February 2026, providing more detailed descriptions of the core components of community health services for ICBs.A consistent definition of core community health services will enable systems to measure demand, capacity, and workforce, and reduce unwarranted variation.The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

With reference to the Insolvency Service's press release entitled The fake £9.8 million NHS contract: directors banned after investors tricked out of more than £2 million, published on 5 March 2026, whether private investors are currently able to verify the validity of previous NHS procurement contracts.

Information about National Health Service procurement contracts is publicly available. Contract Award Notices are published under the Procurement Act 2023 and, for clinical services, under the Provider Selection Regime. Investors can therefore confirm whether a legitimate contract exists by checking the Find a Tender Service and Contracts Finder.NHS organisations cannot confirm commercial claims made to private investors. However, information on suppliers, director identities and disqualifications, insolvency events, and persons of significant control is available on Companies House. If discrepancies arise, they can be reported to the NHS Counter Fraud Authority.With respect to the NHS Supply Chain, if suppliers are removed from a framework, NHS Supply Chain’s standard practice is to update its Contract Information Pages to remove them from the list of suppliers’ section and the product listing information.

Pursuant to Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 110309, how the proportion of calls redirected in the East of England compares with the national average.

NHS England publishes monthly data on the number of incidents raised and responded to by the ambulance service as part of the Ambulance Quality Indicators (AQI) publication. The publication can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/For the calendar year 2025, the number of incidents referred to other services nationally was 1,360,449, or 15% of all 9,312,404 incidents.For the East of England Ambulance Service, the service referred 136,470 incidents to other services, or 14% of all incidents.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of alternative pathway on reducing ambulance handover delays at hospital emergency departments in the East of England.

Reducing unacceptably long ambulance handover delays is a priority for the Government, and the National Health Service has recently introduced a maximum 45-minute standard, supporting ambulances to be released more quickly and get back on the road to treat patients. We are further tackling this issue through greater use of alternative pathways of care, so patients receive the right care at the right time and in the right place. The Urgent and Emergency Care Delivery Plan 2025/26 commits to scaling a new “Home First” approach which will enable ambulance services to prioritise the most critical cases while providing alternative pathways for those with less urgent needs.To achieve this, we will enhance paramedic-led care in the community to ensure more patients receive effective treatment at the scene or in their own homes, reducing avoidable hospital conveyance. This will be delivered through ambulance crews operating a call before convey principle and enabling “see and treat”, supported by additional clinicians in emergency operating centres and single points of access. The East of England Ambulance Service in January 2026 reported that it responded to over half of incidents, or 52.6%, with either a see and treat response, at 34.3%, or hear and treat, at 18.3%.The NHS Planning Guidance 2025/26 commits to improving accident and emergency waiting times and ambulance response times. NHS England will work with systems to reduce avoidable ambulance dispatches and conveyances by ensuring all Category 3 and 4 calls are clinically navigated, validated, and where appropriate, triaged in ambulance control centres, or in single points of access in line with existing guidance.

Pursuant to Answer of 2nd March 2026 to Question 110309, what proportion of redirected patients were referred to a) mental health crisis services, b) urgent community response teams or c) primary care.

Data published monthly by NHS England on incidents raised and responded to by the ambulance sevice does not report the information required to answer this question.Incident numbers and categorisation are published for England as part of the Ambulance Quality Indicators publication. The publication can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/The publication details the number of paredirected, or resolved without conveyance by an ambulance, but does not detail the service incidents are redirected to.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in call categorisation thresholds in the East of England since 2023.

The Department is unaware of any national or local changes to guidance on call categorisation thresholds made since 2023, and has therefore made no assessment.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of paediatric a) physiotherapy and b) occupational therapy workforce capacity.

Decisions on recruitment and employment are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are working closely with NHS England, employers, and educators to improve the transition into the workforce.The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the Plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.