Written questions by Robertson.

How many GP practices have closed in the last 12 months; and and GPs have (a) resigned and (b) retired in the same period of time.

Data on GP practices, including closure dates, is published as part of the ‘GP and GP practice related data’ set, available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/services/organisation-data-service/data-search-and-export/csv-downloads/gp-and-gp-practice-related-dataData on GP workforce can be found here:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/general-and-personal-medical-services/31-december-2025#

If his Department will report the number of patients removed from waiting lists data and the reasons for their removal.

Waiting list management information is published, by week, each month, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/Referral-to-treatment (RTT) data is published monthly, for the data two months prior, by NHS England, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/Whilst we do not currently publish the number of removals from the waiting list for reasons other than a clinical decision, this can be calculated from published RTT data.Between April 2025 and November 2025 inclusive, official statistics show 14,460,885 removals from the list, 12,391,696 of which have been reported as completed pathways, and the remainder, 2,069,189, or 14.3%, were unreported removals. Unreported removals include patients removed from the waiting list for not attending their first appointment, instances where the provider cannot accept the referral because it does not carry out the relevant procedure, and where patients are removed from the waiting list through validation because they no longer need to be treated. We do not currently publish data on the specific reasons for each unreported removal or at what treatment stage in the pathway removals take place.The national elective access policy sets out the principles for providers’ management of their waiting list, including the use of two-way communication with patients to ensure that patients are fully informed and aware of any appointments needed for their care. The policy can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-elective-access-policy/

What proportion of the reduction in NHS waiting lists since April 2025 is attributable to patient removals; and if he will publish a breakdown of waiting-list change by treatment status.

Waiting list management information is published, by week, each month, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/Referral-to-treatment (RTT) data is published monthly, for the data two months prior, by NHS England, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/Whilst we do not currently publish the number of removals from the waiting list for reasons other than a clinical decision, this can be calculated from published RTT data.Between April 2025 and November 2025 inclusive, official statistics show 14,460,885 removals from the list, 12,391,696 of which have been reported as completed pathways, and the remainder, 2,069,189, or 14.3%, were unreported removals. Unreported removals include patients removed from the waiting list for not attending their first appointment, instances where the provider cannot accept the referral because it does not carry out the relevant procedure, and where patients are removed from the waiting list through validation because they no longer need to be treated. We do not currently publish data on the specific reasons for each unreported removal or at what treatment stage in the pathway removals take place.The national elective access policy sets out the principles for providers’ management of their waiting list, including the use of two-way communication with patients to ensure that patients are fully informed and aware of any appointments needed for their care. The policy can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-elective-access-policy/

If his Department will publish full, raw NHS waiting-list data including removals and treatment activity on a weekly and monthly basis.

Waiting list management information is published, by week, each month, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/Referral-to-treatment (RTT) data is published monthly, for the data two months prior, by NHS England, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/Whilst we do not currently publish the number of removals from the waiting list for reasons other than a clinical decision, this can be calculated from published RTT data.Between April 2025 and November 2025 inclusive, official statistics show 14,460,885 removals from the list, 12,391,696 of which have been reported as completed pathways, and the remainder, 2,069,189, or 14.3%, were unreported removals. Unreported removals include patients removed from the waiting list for not attending their first appointment, instances where the provider cannot accept the referral because it does not carry out the relevant procedure, and where patients are removed from the waiting list through validation because they no longer need to be treated. We do not currently publish data on the specific reasons for each unreported removal or at what treatment stage in the pathway removals take place.The national elective access policy sets out the principles for providers’ management of their waiting list, including the use of two-way communication with patients to ensure that patients are fully informed and aware of any appointments needed for their care. The policy can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-elective-access-policy/

What steps he is taking to ensure patients are not wrongly removed from the official NHS waiting list due to administrative issues.

Waiting list management information is published, by week, each month, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/Referral-to-treatment (RTT) data is published monthly, for the data two months prior, by NHS England, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/Whilst we do not currently publish the number of removals from the waiting list for reasons other than a clinical decision, this can be calculated from published RTT data.Between April 2025 and November 2025 inclusive, official statistics show 14,460,885 removals from the list, 12,391,696 of which have been reported as completed pathways, and the remainder, 2,069,189, or 14.3%, were unreported removals. Unreported removals include patients removed from the waiting list for not attending their first appointment, instances where the provider cannot accept the referral because it does not carry out the relevant procedure, and where patients are removed from the waiting list through validation because they no longer need to be treated. We do not currently publish data on the specific reasons for each unreported removal or at what treatment stage in the pathway removals take place.The national elective access policy sets out the principles for providers’ management of their waiting list, including the use of two-way communication with patients to ensure that patients are fully informed and aware of any appointments needed for their care. The policy can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-elective-access-policy/

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of capacity pressures in secondary care, particularly at hospital front doors, including staffing levels and bed availability.

We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the National Health Service over the winter months. The NHS has been preparing for winter this year with the development and thorough testing of winter plans. This includes the surge capacity and escalation plans in place across all NHS and urgent care services.While pressure has remained high on acute hospitals, performance has been better than in previous years. Accident and emergency four-hour performance was 73.8% in December 2025, an improvement of 2.7% from 71.1%. Provisional data for December 2025 indicates that there were 101,200 General and Acute beds open for all acute trusts, 93,177 of which were occupied, a 92.1% occupancy rate.There were 431,000 more accident and emergency attendances in year-to-date to December in 2025/26 compared to the same period in 2024/25, a growth rate of 2.1%. This is lower than the average annual growth rate of 3.9% seen between 2021/22 and 2024/25 but still represents an increase in pressure on accident and emergency departments. Growth in attendances at consultant-led type 1 accident and emergency departments was 1.8% in the year to date to December in 2025/26, greater than the average annual growth rate of 1.3% between 2021/22 and 2024/25.The 10-Year Health Plan aims to expand urgent care capacity through Neighbourhood Health Services and virtual wards, enabling patients to receive care closer to home where clinically appropriate and easing pressure on hospitals.The responsibility for staffing levels should remain with clinical and other leaders at a local level, responding to local needs, supported by guidelines by national and professional bodies, and overseen and regulated in England by the Care Quality Commission.

How much additional funding has been allocated in the current financial year to expand secondary care capacity, including staffing and bed numbers.

The Spending Review 2025 has prioritised health, with an increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24, including investment in urgent and emergency care and electives services to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan. The plan includes the shift from hospital to community to bring care closer to home, launching a new neighbourhood health service with easier and more convenient access to a full range of healthcare services on people’s doorsteps, open 12 hours a day, six days a week.Integrated care board (ICB) revenue allocations for 2025/26 include a total of circa £5.3 billion elective recovery funding to allow the National Health Service to continue to deliver the high levels of elective activity performance seen last year, and to deliver our Plan for Change commitments including care closer to the community. This figure includes funding for cancer services.Over £6 billion in additional capital will be invested in diagnostic, elective, and urgent and emergency capacity in the NHS over five years, including £1.65 billion in 2025/26 to deliver new surgical hubs, diagnostic scanners and beds to increase capacity for elective and emergency care.Decisions on staffing and bed numbers are for individual NHS organisations to decide when developing their operational plans in response to the Medium Term Planning Framework 2026/27 to 2028/29.

What funding has been allocated for the improvement and expansion of the primary care estate in each of the last five financial years.

There is no separate assessment of general practice (GP) premises as part of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) assessments of practices. The CQC’s Premises Regulations, primarily Regulation 15, mandate that care locations must be clean, suitable, secure, and properly maintained, ensuring safety for users. As of 15 January 2026, in England there are 5,520 GP surgeries rated as Good, 256 rated as Requires Improvement, and 20 rated as Inadequate. five locations have yet to be rated.The Government recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects, such as new facilities, significant upgrades, or other targeted capital investments.In May, we announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund to deliver upgrades to more than a thousand GP surgeries across England this financial year. These schemes will create additional clinical space within existing building footprints to enable practices to see more patients, boost productivity, and improve patient care.NHS England is responsible for funding allocations to integrated care boards (ICBs). This process is independent of the Government, and NHS England takes advice on the underlying formula from the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA). The most recent allocations take into account an ACRA-recommended change specifically focused on rurality.ICBs are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, GP services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The NHS has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practices, in each local area. It should take account of population growth and demographic changes.

What estimate he has made of the backlog maintenance costs for GP surgeries and other primary care premises in England.

There is no separate assessment of general practice (GP) premises as part of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) assessments of practices. The CQC’s Premises Regulations, primarily Regulation 15, mandate that care locations must be clean, suitable, secure, and properly maintained, ensuring safety for users. As of 15 January 2026, in England there are 5,520 GP surgeries rated as Good, 256 rated as Requires Improvement, and 20 rated as Inadequate. five locations have yet to be rated.The Government recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects, such as new facilities, significant upgrades, or other targeted capital investments.In May, we announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund to deliver upgrades to more than a thousand GP surgeries across England this financial year. These schemes will create additional clinical space within existing building footprints to enable practices to see more patients, boost productivity, and improve patient care.NHS England is responsible for funding allocations to integrated care boards (ICBs). This process is independent of the Government, and NHS England takes advice on the underlying formula from the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA). The most recent allocations take into account an ACRA-recommended change specifically focused on rurality.ICBs are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, GP services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The NHS has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practices, in each local area. It should take account of population growth and demographic changes.

What estimate he has made of the additional costs of maintaining and developing primary care estates in island, rural, and coastal communities.

There is no separate assessment of general practice (GP) premises as part of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) assessments of practices. The CQC’s Premises Regulations, primarily Regulation 15, mandate that care locations must be clean, suitable, secure, and properly maintained, ensuring safety for users. As of 15 January 2026, in England there are 5,520 GP surgeries rated as Good, 256 rated as Requires Improvement, and 20 rated as Inadequate. five locations have yet to be rated.The Government recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects, such as new facilities, significant upgrades, or other targeted capital investments.In May, we announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund to deliver upgrades to more than a thousand GP surgeries across England this financial year. These schemes will create additional clinical space within existing building footprints to enable practices to see more patients, boost productivity, and improve patient care.NHS England is responsible for funding allocations to integrated care boards (ICBs). This process is independent of the Government, and NHS England takes advice on the underlying formula from the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA). The most recent allocations take into account an ACRA-recommended change specifically focused on rurality.ICBs are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, GP services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The NHS has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practices, in each local area. It should take account of population growth and demographic changes.

What assessment his Department has made of the condition of the primary care estate in England; and what proportion of GP premises are currently rated as (a) good, (b) requiring improvement, and (c) unfit for purpose.

There is no separate assessment of general practice (GP) premises as part of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) assessments of practices. The CQC’s Premises Regulations, primarily Regulation 15, mandate that care locations must be clean, suitable, secure, and properly maintained, ensuring safety for users. As of 15 January 2026, in England there are 5,520 GP surgeries rated as Good, 256 rated as Requires Improvement, and 20 rated as Inadequate. five locations have yet to be rated.The Government recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects, such as new facilities, significant upgrades, or other targeted capital investments.In May, we announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund to deliver upgrades to more than a thousand GP surgeries across England this financial year. These schemes will create additional clinical space within existing building footprints to enable practices to see more patients, boost productivity, and improve patient care.NHS England is responsible for funding allocations to integrated care boards (ICBs). This process is independent of the Government, and NHS England takes advice on the underlying formula from the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA). The most recent allocations take into account an ACRA-recommended change specifically focused on rurality.ICBs are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, GP services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The NHS has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practices, in each local area. It should take account of population growth and demographic changes.

What steps he is taking to improve quality of life for people being diagnosed, treated for or living with cancer under the National Cancer Plan .

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer.The plan will aim to improve how the physical and psychosocial needs of people with cancer can be met, with a focus on personalised care to improve quality of life. It will address how the experience of care can be improved for those diagnosed, treated, and living with and beyond cancer. The plan will be published early this year.

Whether the Department plans to review the level of statutory funding provided to hospices that currently rely heavily on charitable donations to deliver core services.

Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing National Health Services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between integrated care board (ICB) areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative care and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.In addition to the statutory funding provided by ICBs, the Government has been supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We recently also confirmed the continuation of revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices for the next three financial years. This amounts to approximately £80 million over that period.For the long-term, we are 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 ICBs 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. I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1087 I gave to the House.

How the decision to prioritise continuation funding for the existing 75 Start for Life local authority areas aligns with the commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan for England to expand Start for Life services across all communities.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out an ambitious agenda to how we will improve the nation’s health by creating a new model of care that is fit for the future.We recognise that local authorities are ambitious, seeking to deliver universal support to families and prevent escalating need. We are committed to delivering the 10-Year Health Plan ambition to match Healthy Babies, formerly Start for Life, to Best Start Family Hubs over the next decade.

Whether the Government intends to provide Start for Life funding to new local authority areas.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out an ambitious agenda to how we will improve the nation’s health by creating a new model of care that is fit for the future.We recognise that local authorities are ambitious, seeking to deliver universal support to families and prevent escalating need. We are committed to delivering the 10-Year Health Plan ambition to match Healthy Babies, formerly Start for Life, to Best Start Family Hubs over the next decade.

What proportion of NICE technology appraisals have been terminated in each year since 2019; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for these terminations.

The follow table shows the proportion of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisals that have been terminated in each year since 2019:YearTerminations as a percentage of each year2019/2017.54%2020/2120.00%2021/2219.39%2022/2322.77%2023/2418.47%2024/2518.18%Source: NICE.NICE is an independent body and my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has made no assessment of the reasons for the terminations of technology appraisals.NICE strives to get the best care to patients fast, and to ensure value for the taxpayer. The aligned NICE and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency pathway, set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, will allow us to bring medicines to patients three to six months sooner. NICE continues to support and work with companies to identify the best time to submit appraisals and to ensure they have a clear understanding of NICE’s methods and processes, to try to avoid terminations.Sometimes companies withdraw from the NICE appraisal process which means NICE cannot continue to evaluate the treatment. Companies can choose to do this for different reasons, including the treatment not being put forward at a cost-effective price, supply issues and incomplete evidence.

What assessment he has made of regional variation in access to NICE-approved medicines across Integrated Care Systems.

No assessment has been made by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on adoption of innovative medicines in local formularies states that once a NICE technology appraisal recommends a medicine, it must be included in a local formulary within 90 days, providing it is clinically appropriate and relevant to the services provided by the organisation, or 30 days for Early Access to Medicines Scheme medicines. This NICE guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/mpg1/chapter/Recommendations#local-formulary-scopeLocal formularies exist at various levels of the health service, but most frequently appear at integrated care board (ICB) level. It is the responsibility of local medicines optimisation teams and formulary committees to ensure they are meeting these targets.At a national level, the Innovation Scorecard and Estimates Report is a publication which reports on the use of medicines and medicine groupings in the National Health Service in England, which have been positively appraised by NICE. It can be used by local NHS organisations to monitor progress in implementing NICE Technology Appraisal recommendations. Further information on the Innovation Scorecard and Estimates Report is available at the following link:https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiOWVkZmY1MDEtOWQzMS00YzU1LWJkZmYtMTc2NGQ2MTZkYjc2IiwidCI6ImNmNmQwNDgyLTg2YjEtNGY4OC04YzBjLTNiNGRlNGNiNDAyYyJ9In line with commitments made in 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access, and Growth, NHS England, NICE, and the NHS Business Services Authority are further developing the Innovation Scorecard and Estimates Report to better track variation in the uptake of NICE recommended medicines between ICBs.The 10-Year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan set out a commitment to move to a Single National Formulary for medicines within the next two years. The overall aim of the Single National Formulary will be to drive rapid and equitable adoption of clinically- and cost-effective innovations.

If he will publish data on how many Activity Management Plans have been issued by NHS Integrated Care Boards to (a) NHS Trusts and (b) independent providers, how many reduced procedures that will cause between November 2025 and March 2026; and what justifications were provided by ICBs for issuing each AMP.

The specific information requested is not held by the Department. Activity management plans are contractual mechanisms within the NHS Standard Contract, used by integrated care boards (ICBs) to manage elective activity and financial control. They can be implemented when providers exceed their indicative activity plans, helping commissioners and providers plan demand, capacity, and expenditure. This information is therefore held at individual ICB level.

When he plans to publish data collected by his Department on the use of corridor care.

The provision of clinical care in corridors is unacceptable, and we are committed to ending its practice in the National Health Service. Furthermore, our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 commits to publishing data on the prevalence of corridor care for the first time.NHS England has been working with trusts to put in place new reporting arrangements regarding the use of corridor care to drive improvement and data transparency. The data quality is currently being reviewed, and we expect to publish the information shortly.We are introducing new clinical operational standards for the first 72 hours of care, setting clear expectations for timely reviews and specialist input, further supporting our efforts to eliminate corridor care and improve patient experience.

What assessment his Department has made of equity of access to to Start for Life services, including infant feeding, perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support across England.

Delivering integrated, joined-up health, education, and family support is at the heart of our ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.Healthy Babies, formerly Start for Life, funding is helping families during the critical 1,001 days, and as a result parents have said they are more confident in feeding their babies and have better perinatal mental health because of this support. We continue to assess how we can best support early-years service integration across the country and remain committed to working with delivery partners locally to achieve this.Healthy Babies is one element of our broader commitment to supporting babies, children and families. From April 2026, Best Start Family Hubs will expand to every single local authority, backed by over £500 million to reach up to half a million more children and families. This funding will help all local authorities to integrate a range of statutory and non-statutory health and family services.Best Start Family Hubs will form part of the architecture of the Neighbourhood Health Service. Through the shifts from hospital to community and treatment to prevention, we will further strengthen integration and join-up of services, helping to ensure that babies and their families can get the support they need, when and where they need it.