Written questions by Hayes.

How many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants.

Information on the number of civil servants in the Department is published monthly on the GOV.UK website, and can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dhsc-workforce-management-informationAs of the 31 October 2025, the total number of civil servants employed by the Department on a temporary contract was 54. This equates to 1.5% of civil servants employed by the Department. There were no civil servants employed in the department as a consultant.

What steps he is taking to increase access to pharmacies in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served by local pharmacies. These assessments must be kept under review. The Lincolnshire Health and Wellbeing Board consulted on the draft PNA for 2025 to 2028 between 6 January and 8 March 2025 and was satisfied that there were no gaps in provision. No pharmacies have closed in the area since the analysis was undertaken. Integrated care boards give regard to the PNAs when reviewing applications from new contractors. Contractors can also apply to open a new pharmacy to offer benefits to patients that were not foreseen by the PNA.

What steps he is taking to support NHS staff working in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The health and wellbeing of all National Health Service staff is a top priority. Local employers across the NHS have arrangements in place for supporting staff, including occupational health provision, employee support programmes, and a focus on healthy working environments. At a national level NHS staff have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support alongside the Practitioner Health service for more complex mental health and wellbeing support, including trauma and addiction.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out staff treatment hubs to ensure all staff have access to high quality occupational health support, including for mental health. To further support this ambition, we will work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals, support to work healthily and flexibly, and tackling violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the workplace.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the number of community diagnostic hubs in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are delivering additional, digitally connected diagnostic capacity in England, providing patients with a co-ordinated set of tests in the community in as few visits as possible, to enable fast and accurate diagnoses.There are no CDCs in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency. However, there are three CDCs located within the NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board, including the Grantham CDC in Grantham. CDCs, even if not local to a constituent, will add capacity to the wider integrated care system and will benefit more than just those patients immediately close to them. Diagnostic services can also be accessed across existing acute capacity, such as at Peterborough City Hospital.CDCs are now delivering additional tests and checks in 170 sites across the country and have delivered over 9.4 million tests, checks, and scans, including large, standard, and hub and spoke models, since July 2024.The Elective Reform Plan sets out that the Government will deliver additional CDC capacity in 2025/26 by expanding a number of existing CDCs and building up to five new CDCs. This is funded as part of the £600 million of capital investment for diagnostics in 2025/26, which my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out in the June 2025 statement.NHS England is working with local National Health Service systems to identify the most appropriate locations for additional investment, including new CDCs. New CDCs should be positioned in a location which addresses local need and address health inequalities. Details of future sites will be set out in due course.  The locations of both new and expanded CDC schemes will be confirmed in due course.Over the longer term, as set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we expect more care to be delivered in community settings, and nearer to patients’ home by default, for example through greater use of point of care tests.

What steps his Department has taken to reduce rates of cardiovascular disease in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The South Holland and the Deepings constituency and Lincolnshire have implemented a number of programmes to reduce the rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including:- One You Lincolnshire, which provides holistic support for adults to act on modifiable risk factors for CVD such as smoking cessation and weight management;- targeted collaboration between pharmacies and general practices to provide home blood pressure monitors to key at-risk groups of the population; and- continued support and promotion of the NHS Health Check in a range of community settings, including initiatives to provide translation support and one-to-one guidance, to help increase both the uptake and awareness of the programme.The Government is committed to reducing premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% in the next 10 years. To accelerate progress on this ambition and tackle unwarranted variation across the country, we will publish a CVD modern service framework in 2026. The framework will support consistent, high quality, and equitable care whilst fostering innovation across the CVD pathway.

How many people have been diagnosed with (1) Chrohn's and (2) Colitis in (a) South Holland and the Deepings and (b) Lincolnshire in each of the last five years.

Neither the Department nor NHS England hold data on the total number of people diagnosed with Crohn’s disease or colitis in South Holland and the Deepings or Lincolnshire in each of the last five years. However, the following table shows a count hospital admissions (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis Crohn's disease or colitis and where the patient was resident in Lincolnshire or South Holland and the Deepings, each year from 2020/21 to 2024/25:YearSouth Holland and DeepingsLincolnshireCrohn’sColitisCrohn’sColitis2020/211253052,3503,3552021/221754102,7654,2952022/231804803,1304,8902023/241654653,3905,2752024/25751903,6756,455Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, published by NHS EnglandNotes:an FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes;for the purposes of this data, the following ICD-10 codes have been used: K50 for Crohn’s Disease; A09.0 for other and unspecified gastroenteritis and colitis of infectious origin; A09.9 for gastroenteritis and colitis of unspecified origin; K51. For ulcerative colitis; K52. For other noninfective gastroenteritis and colitis; A06.2 for amoebic non-dysenteric colitis; and A04.7 for enterocolitis due to clostridium difficile;the data presented here is a count of the number of admissions rather than the number of patients. It’s possible that the same person may have been admitted to hospital on more than one occasion within any given period; andthe majority of cases of Crohn’s disease and colitis are treated through routine access to primary and secondary care services, with only a smaller number of cases, typically the most serious, requiring hospital admission. The data presented here will, therefore, only represent a small proportion of the total number of cases that were treated.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to NHS dental services for disabled patients in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Integrated care boards are responsible for assessing the needs of their population and ensuring that the relevant dental services are available.We recognise that certain groups of patients may find it difficult to access dental care. Community dental services are available to people whose additional needs may mean they are not able to be treated at high street dental practices. Under the Equality Act 2010, health and care organisations, including dental practices, have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments in their approach and provision to ensure that services are as accessible to disabled patients as they are for everybody else.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the capacity of GP services to meet demand in Lincolnshire.

General practice (GP) capacity is tracked through national datasets using several key metrics, such as the number of appointments offered each month and overall workforce levels. Patient feedback is gathered regularly through annual and monthly surveys. Lincolnshire scored below the national average in the most recent annual survey, but the latest monthly results show performance broadly in line with the national average. There is variation between practices within the integrated care board (ICB), influenced by factors such as operating models, population demographics, recruitment challenges, and access to other health and care services. To address this, the ICB is supporting practices through its local support offer and the national Practice Level Support programme, helping to manage demand and optimise capacity and access. Assessing demand and capacity remains complex, but these proxy metrics suggest Lincolnshire is broadly aligned with the national picture. As part of the national GP pilot, where Lincolnshire is one of 11 sites, we are exploring ways to optimise demand and capacity further.

What steps he is taking to improve maternity and neonatal care for people in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Maternity and neonatal care in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency is delivered locally by Lincolnshire Local Maternity and Neonatal System. They are implementing the Continuity of Carer model of midwifery care so that women receive dedicated support from the same midwifery team throughout their pregnancy. This model will prioritise areas with higher deprivation and complex needs and aims to improve care for people in South Holland and the Deepings.For Lincolnshire, the main provider for maternity care across the county is the United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The trust has taken several steps to improve maternity and neonatal care such as implementing the Continuity of Carer model and offering specialised services for women to receive dedicated support to meet specific needs, for example through the Perinatal Community Mental Health Team and Perinatal Trauma and Loss Care Service. Additionally, there are community initiatives, including a breastfeeding campaign, ongoing workforce development initiatives, such as career pathways for maternity support workers, and innovative neonatal staffing models.The trust has also seen a reduction in women smoking at the time of delivery from 17.1% in 2020/21 to 8.4% in 2024/25, ahead of integrated care system targets.

What steps he is taking to improve integration between NHS services and social care provision in Lincolnshire.

The Department is committed to improving integration between health and social care services nationally and locally. Our vision for neighbourhood health will see local government and the National Health Service working more closely together, with a revitalised role of Health and Wellbeing Boards and reform of the Better Care Fund (BCF).Through the BCF, approximately £9 billion is being invested in 2025/26 to enable NHS bodies and local authorities to pool budgets and deliver joined-up care. This includes setting shared goals to reduce delayed discharges, avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, and support people to live independently at home.In Lincolnshire, local Health and Wellbeing Boards are required to agree plans under the BCF framework to provide timely and coordinated support for people with complex needs. These plans prioritise effective discharge from hospital and recovery in the community.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Taskforce for Lung Health briefing entitled A Modern Service Framework for Respiratory campaign, published on 18 November 2025.

The Department is aware of the taskforce for Lung Health’s report calling for a Modern Service Framework for Respiratory Health, including the impact of respiratory conditions on mortality rates, emergency admissions, inequalities, and productivity.Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia.The Government will consider other long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks, including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity.

How many of the neighbourhood health centres announced in the autumn budget 2025 will be based in Lincolnshire.

At the Autumn Budget, we announced our commitment to deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. This will deliver NHCs through a mixture of refurbishments to expand and improve sites over the next three years and new-build sites opening in the medium term. The first 120 NHCs are due to be operational by 2030 and will be delivered through public private partnerships and public capital.Nationwide coverage will take time, but we will start in the areas of greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowest, including rural towns and communities with higher deprivation levels, targeting places where healthy life expectancy is lowest and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, general practice services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. Both ICBs and local health systems will be responsible for determining the most appropriate locations for Neighbourhood Health Centres.We have also launched wave 1 of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP) in 43 areas across England, including North East Lincolnshire. The NNHIP is supporting systems across the country in driving innovation and integration at a local level to improve the care they provide to their communities.We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in rural communities such as Lincolnshire.

What data his Department holds on cancer diagnosis wait times in South Holland and the Deepings in the last five years.

The Department does not hold this data, although published data from NHS England is available from 2022 for the cancer waiting time standards, at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/Cancer waiting times data can be broken down by integrated care board or National Health Service trust, however, this data is not available by constituency. The local NHS trusts for the South Holland and the Deepings constituency are North West Anglia, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn, and United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals.

How many and what proportion of patients in (1) Lincolnshire and (2) England have waited for (a) 90 and (b) 150 days for brain tumour test results in each of the last three years.

NHS England publishes waiting time data from referral to being informed of a cancer diagnosis or having it ruled out for brain and central nervous system. This is the 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard. This includes the waiting time data for patients in Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board and in England.This data is publicly available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/

Whether his Department plans to increase the availability of defibrillators in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Over 110,000 defibrillators are registered in the United Kingdom on The Circuit, the independent automated external defibrillator (AED) database. The Department’s Community AED Fund delivered 3080 new AEDs to local communities between September 2023 and February 2025. The Department has no current plans to fund the purchase of additional AEDs, as local communities are best placed to make decisions about procuring, locating and maintaining AEDs.

What steps his Department is taking to increase access to specialist wheelchairs for children in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair services.The Lincolnshire ICB and Lincolnshire County Council jointly commission an all-age wheelchair service. To support access to specialist wheelchairs, the Lincolnshire wheelchair service has a close working relationship with bespoke seating services who support with wheelchair fittings and assessments. In addition, the service also operates a personal wheelchair budget option that supports the provision of equipment outside of the standard service and that helps assess the equipment sourced to make sure it is appropriate and meets the patient’s needs.NHS England is taking steps to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of National Health Service wheelchairs, and to support ICBs to reduce delays in people receiving intervention and equipment. This includes publishing a Wheelchair Quality Framework on the 9 April 2025 which sets out quality standards and statutory requirements for ICBs, such as offering personal wheelchair budgets. The framework is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/wheelchair-quality-framework/

What steps he is taking to support patients with pulmonary fibrosis in Lincolnshire.

It is for the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board, working closely with National Health Service providers and other stakeholders, to commission services to meet the needs to their population and deliver value for the taxpayer.I understand that a range of services, across primary and secondary care, are in place in Lincolnshire to support the diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients with pulmonary fibrosis, including at the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

What steps his Department is taking to support community based preventative services for elderly people in Lincolnshire.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service. The Neighbourhood Health Service will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a person’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and only in a hospital if necessary.We have launched wave one of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP) in 43 areas across England, including North East Lincolnshire. The NNHIP is supporting systems across the country in driving innovation and integration at a local level, to improve the care they provide to their communities.We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations, and which could include services for elderly people. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in rural communities such as Lincolnshire, coastal towns, or deprived inner cities.

What steps he is taking to support people with ME in Lincolnshire.

The Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Service is a specialist service which provides assessment and advice on myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), management strategies.This service is available to adults and children. The ME/CFS service team consists of a wide range of skilled staff, including consultant clinical psychologists, assistant psychologists, specialist occupational therapists, and rehabilitation staff.At a national level, the ME/CFS Final Delivery Plan, which the Department published in July, includes an action for the Department and NHS England to explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for very severe ME/CFS. Officials from the Department have commenced discussions with NHS England on how best to take forward this action.NHS England has also started its work on co-designing resources for systems to improve services for mild and moderate ME/CFS. It will meet a group of key stakeholders to progress this in the coming weeks.

How much the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department which regulates medicine, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom, with responsibility for ensuring medicines meet appropriate standards of safety, quality, and efficacy. The following table shows how much the MHRA has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years:YearTranslationSign languageTotal2020/21£521.86£1,554.00£2,075.862021/22£9,725.01£648.00£10,373.012022/23£796.24£1,050.00£1,846.242023/24-£3,138.00£3,138.002024/25£355.60£2,275.20£2,630.80Total£11,398.71£8,665.20£20,063.91