Every parliamentary written question tabled by Lisa Smart this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 145 · Department of Health and Social Care
Whether his Department plans to a) make the Psychotherapeutic Counselling Core pilot training pathway permanent and b) increase the number of places available through the pathway.
The Psychotherapeutic Counselling Core training pathway is no longer a pilot and is a part of NHS England’s regular commissioning cycle for the education and training programmes. There are no plans to increase the number of training places on the Psychotherapeutic Counselling Core training pathway.
Whether his Department plans to review the amount of hours of training that newly qualified counsellors and psychotherapists have to complete before being eligible to work in the NHS.
It is the responsibility of individual employers to set any specific requirements for their roles and to ensure staff meet patient safety, clinical quality, and professional competence.
What steps he is taking to ensure parity of funding and service provision between physical health services and mental health services.
We are committed to giving mental health the same attention and focus as physical health. We know that, for people living with severe mental illness, life expectancy is 15 to 20 years shorter than that for the general population.As the Medium-Term Planning Framework makes clear, we need a new approach for mental health, to drive down waits, improve the quality of care, and increase productivity of mental health services. Funding is a key part of this. We have set out that over the next three years, integrated care boards will be required to meet the mental health investment standard by protecting mental health spending in real terms. In other words, rising in line with inflation from 2026/27.The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for the neighbourhood health service. This is about bringing care into local communities, convening professionals into patient-centred teams, ending fragmentation, and abolishing the National Health Service default of ‘one size fits all’ care. Through six pilot sites we are testing 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centres. These provide round the clock, open-access to treatment and support for adults with severe mental health needs, and we are now looking to roll the model out more widely. The centres will work in close partnership with primary care to provide wraparound support for service users.
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of progress towards ensuring that all areas have a commissioned 24/7 community mental health crisis service; and what steps he is taking to support areas that have not yet been able to implement such provision.
While no such specific assessment has been made, integrated care boards, supported by regions, should maintain full 24/7 community mental health crisis coverage.To strengthen access to urgent mental health support, anyone in England experiencing a mental health crisis can now to speak to a trained National Health Service professional at any time of the day through a mental health option on NHS 111. This integrated service can give patients of all ages, including children, the chance to be listened to by a trained member of staff who can help direct them to the right place.There are currently six funded sites piloting the 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centre model, as well as 16 'associate sites' that are already proactively testing the model. These centres bring together a range of community mental health services under one roof, including crisis services and short-stay beds. The Government will make available capital funding of £473 million over four years to invest in new models, including 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres, building on findings from the six pilots, and other capital projects such as Mental Health Emergency Departments and eliminating out-of-area placements.
Whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the repairs backlog at Stepping Hill Hospital on patient care and waiting times; and if he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of meeting those repair costs in the next three years.
We have inherited a broken National Health Service, with many hospitals in a state of disrepair, and patients unable to access the care they need. We recognise that hospitals across the country, including Stepping Hill, have challenging and poor-quality infrastructure. Repairing and rebuilding our healthcare estate is a vital part of our ambition to create an NHS that is fit for the future through our 10-Year Health Plan.We are working to rebuild the health service. We are backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital in 2025/26, with a further £16.9 billion to be allocated to integrated care boards (ICBs) and providers over the following years. Providers have also been given further five-year operational capital planning assumptions, covering 2030/31 to 2034-35, allowing them to plan longer term with confidence and accelerate investment decisions aligned to local priorities, including repairs and maintenance.In addition, we will provide £30 billion across five years, namely 2025/26 to 2029/30, in day-to-day maintenance and repair of the NHS estate, with a further five years of funding certainty for estates maintenance as set out in the 10 Year Infrastructure Plan. Within this, the Estates Safety Fund, established in 2025/26, will continue, providing £6.75 billion investment over the next nine years to target the most critical building repairs. The £2.5 million allocated to Stepping Hill hospital from the Estates Safety Fund in 2025/26 is the first step in addressing the repairs backlog at Stepping Hill Hospital.
How many of the places intended to be filled by the Government's Golden Hello Scheme for NHS dentists have been, and what work the Government will be doing with local ICBs to ensure that they hit more of their targets.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are continuing to recruit dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. The scheme offers a £20,000 recruitment incentive payment to dentists to work in those areas that need them most. The scheme remains a national priority.Golden Hello data will be published this year and will consist of data showing the regional distribution of the original allocation of posts and the number of posts recruited to at both a national and regional level.
What steps his Department is taking to reimburse or provide financial support to families of dementia patients who are required to pay for care while local authorities consider their applications for support.
Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs, as set out in the Care Act 2014.The Care and Support Statutory Guidance states that “an assessment should be carried out over an appropriate and reasonable timescale taking into account the urgency of needs and a consideration of any fluctuation in those needs”. In addition, under Section 19 of the Care Act 2014, local authorities have powers to meet urgent needs for care and support without first carrying out a needs assessment or financial assessment.There is no legal entitlement to reimbursement for care costs incurred prior to a local authority decision.Individuals who are concerned about delays or decisions may raise these through local authority complaints processes or with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of current NHS strategies to prevent eating disorders, particularly among children and young people; and what steps he is taking to strengthen early intervention and prevention services.
NHS England will shortly publish refreshed guidance on children and young people’s eating disorders. This guidance strengthens the focus on early identification and intervention across the whole care pathway, including in settings such as schools and primary care, to support prevention and timely access to help. It places particular emphasis on high-quality community provision, while ensuring that children and young people can access specialist support swiftly as soon as an eating disorder is suspected.Since 2016, investment in children and young people’s community eating disorder services has increased every year. This includes an additional £54 million per year from 2023/24, which continues to enhance the capacity and capability of community eating disorder teams to deliver early intervention, evidence-based treatment, and ongoing support for all children and young people, including boys and young men.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning eating disorder pathways for their local populations. In doing so, ICBs are expected to assess and respond to the needs of their local communities and to ensure services are provided equitably, including that diagnosis, treatment pathways, and clinical support are appropriate and accessible for all patients. This includes maintaining effective transitions from inpatient care into community services, with robust follow-up and ongoing support to reduce the risk of deterioration following discharge.
What assessment he has made of whether eating disorder services adequately meet the needs of boys and young men; and what steps he is taking to ensure that diagnosis, treatment pathways and clinical support are appropriate and accessible for male patients.
NHS England will shortly publish refreshed guidance on children and young people’s eating disorders. This guidance strengthens the focus on early identification and intervention across the whole care pathway, including in settings such as schools and primary care, to support prevention and timely access to help. It places particular emphasis on high-quality community provision, while ensuring that children and young people can access specialist support swiftly as soon as an eating disorder is suspected.Since 2016, investment in children and young people’s community eating disorder services has increased every year. This includes an additional £54 million per year from 2023/24, which continues to enhance the capacity and capability of community eating disorder teams to deliver early intervention, evidence-based treatment, and ongoing support for all children and young people, including boys and young men.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning eating disorder pathways for their local populations. In doing so, ICBs are expected to assess and respond to the needs of their local communities and to ensure services are provided equitably, including that diagnosis, treatment pathways, and clinical support are appropriate and accessible for all patients. This includes maintaining effective transitions from inpatient care into community services, with robust follow-up and ongoing support to reduce the risk of deterioration following discharge.
What assessment he has made of the continuity of care for children and young people discharged from inpatient eating disorder units into community settings; and what steps he is taking to prevent deterioration in patients’ conditions following discharge.
NHS England will shortly publish refreshed guidance on children and young people’s eating disorders. This guidance strengthens the focus on early identification and intervention across the whole care pathway, including in settings such as schools and primary care, to support prevention and timely access to help. It places particular emphasis on high-quality community provision, while ensuring that children and young people can access specialist support swiftly as soon as an eating disorder is suspected.Since 2016, investment in children and young people’s community eating disorder services has increased every year. This includes an additional £54 million per year from 2023/24, which continues to enhance the capacity and capability of community eating disorder teams to deliver early intervention, evidence-based treatment, and ongoing support for all children and young people, including boys and young men.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning eating disorder pathways for their local populations. In doing so, ICBs are expected to assess and respond to the needs of their local communities and to ensure services are provided equitably, including that diagnosis, treatment pathways, and clinical support are appropriate and accessible for all patients. This includes maintaining effective transitions from inpatient care into community services, with robust follow-up and ongoing support to reduce the risk of deterioration following discharge.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of neurology waiting times on patients; and what steps his Department is taking to support NHS trusts in reducing routine neurology backlogs.
The Department recognises that long waits for neurology appointments can have a significant impact on patients, including delayed diagnosis, prolonged uncertainty, and potential deterioration in health and quality of life. Neurological conditions are often complex and require timely specialist input to prevent complications and support effective management. To address these challenges, the Government and NHS England are taking a range of steps to reduce waiting times and improve access to care.Our Elective Reform Plan sets a clear target to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients start consultant-led treatment within 18 weeks of referral by March 2029. We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring lists and waiting times down. The plan sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard.Initiatives such as Getting It Right First Time and RightCare are supporting systems to redesign neurology pathways, reduce unwarranted variation, and improve outpatient flow. These programmes provide evidence-based recommendations for integrated care models and better workforce planning.NHS England’s Standardising Community Health Services guidance asks integrated care boards to include community neurorehabilitation as a core component of local services, helping to shift care closer to home and reduce pressure on hospital-based neurology clinics.The 10-Year Health Plan sets out a transformed vision for elective care by 2035, where the majority of interactions no longer take place in a hospital building, instead happening virtually or via neighbourhood services. Planned care will be more efficient, timely, and effective, and will put control in the hands of patients.We are also committed to transforming and expanding diagnostic services and speeding up waiting times for tests. This includes investment in new and expanded community diagnostic centres, which are supporting a key Government priority to shift care from the hospital to the community, which offer the tests needed to support diagnosis of suspected neurological conditions.The Government’s forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will 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.These actions form part of a wider strategy to improve access, reduce backlogs, and deliver high-quality neurological care across England.
What steps are being taken to support GP practices in providing specialist in-house coil clinics, in the content of levels of staffing, clinic space, equipment and stock availability; and what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for coil fittings.
The Government remains committed to ensuring equitable access to a range of contraceptive methods, including the coil.Under the GP Contract, contraceptive services are part of the essential services that practices must provide, either directly or by making arrangements for their patients to access them. Integrated care boards (ICBs) may commission GPs to offer long acting reversible contraception, such as the contraceptive coil, as an enhanced service to their local population, in addition to the service provided through the GP Contract. It is for ICBs to decide on commissioning arrangements for their area based on an assessment of local need. Information on levels of staffing, clinic space, equipment and stock availability, and waiting times for coil fittings are not held centrally.
What steps he is taking to ensure that patients receiving (a) ADHD and (b) autism treatment through the Right to Choose pathway receive safe and uninterrupted care when GPs are unable to accept shared care arrangements.
Shared care within the National Health Service refers to an arrangement whereby a specialist doctor formally transfers responsibility for all or some aspects of their patient’s care, such as prescription of medication, over to the patient’s general practitioner (GP). The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates and sets standards for doctors in the United Kingdom, has made it clear that GPs are not contractually obliged to enter into shared care agreements, and GPs may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds. The GMC has also issued guidance to help GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities.In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors to determine whether it is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate.On initiating a treatment, the specialist clinician must follow GMC guidance that if continuation of the treatment is dependent on shared care, then an agreement with the GP must be in place before the treatment is started. If a shared care agreement is not in place, the responsibility for ongoing prescribing remains with the specialist clinician, and this applies to both NHS and private medical care.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism services and support, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
Whether his Department has considered a national workforce strategy to retain ADHD and autism clinicians within NHS services.
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. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of a joined-up continence care pathway between the NHS, local authorities and care home providers to ensure residents receive appropriate and personalised continence support.
The 10-Year Health Plan will shift care from hospital to community, and will thereby help to drive more joint working in neighborhoods between primary care, pharmacies, community health care, and social care to help people to manage continence at home, helping them to have access to the right self-care, the right professional support so they aren’t passed from service to service, and reducing their need for emergency admissions to hospital. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on continence care recommends commissioners and providers deliver high quality management of continence care provision delivered in an integrated way.
How her Department plans to support integrated care boards to meet demand for NHS orthodontic services within existing budgets before April 2026.
Data on the average waiting times for National Health Service orthodontic treatment is not held centrally.Integrated care board (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry and orthodontic services, to meet the needs of the local population.To support ICBs in their duties, NHS England has published several documents, including clinical policy to support the commissioning of orthodontic activity, to ensure that resources invested by the NHS in specialist care are used in the most effective way and provide the best possible quality and quantity of care for patients. The clinical policy to support the commissioning of orthodontic activity is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/clinical-standards-for-dental-specialties-orthodontics/The Government invests approximately £3 billion in primary care dentistry every year. Dental budgets are ringfenced and NHS England reserves the right to direct that any unused resources are used to improve dental access. Exceptionally, the unspent allocation may be returned to NHS England.The Government wants to ensure that every penny we allocate for dentistry is spent on dentistry, and that the ringfenced dental budget is spent on the patients who need it most.
What guidance his Department has provided to NHS dentists on monitoring patients on orthodontic waiting lists to ensure that their (a) oral health and (b) treatment priority status are kept under review.
Data on the average waiting times for National Health Service orthodontic treatment is not held centrally.Integrated care board (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry and orthodontic services, to meet the needs of the local population.To support ICBs in their duties, NHS England has published several documents, including clinical policy to support the commissioning of orthodontic activity, to ensure that resources invested by the NHS in specialist care are used in the most effective way and provide the best possible quality and quantity of care for patients. The clinical policy to support the commissioning of orthodontic activity is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/clinical-standards-for-dental-specialties-orthodontics/The Government invests approximately £3 billion in primary care dentistry every year. Dental budgets are ringfenced and NHS England reserves the right to direct that any unused resources are used to improve dental access. Exceptionally, the unspent allocation may be returned to NHS England.The Government wants to ensure that every penny we allocate for dentistry is spent on dentistry, and that the ringfenced dental budget is spent on the patients who need it most.
What recent estimate she has made of average waiting times for NHS orthodontic treatment for children and young people; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times.
Data on the average waiting times for National Health Service orthodontic treatment is not held centrally.Integrated care board (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry and orthodontic services, to meet the needs of the local population.To support ICBs in their duties, NHS England has published several documents, including clinical policy to support the commissioning of orthodontic activity, to ensure that resources invested by the NHS in specialist care are used in the most effective way and provide the best possible quality and quantity of care for patients. The clinical policy to support the commissioning of orthodontic activity is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/clinical-standards-for-dental-specialties-orthodontics/The Government invests approximately £3 billion in primary care dentistry every year. Dental budgets are ringfenced and NHS England reserves the right to direct that any unused resources are used to improve dental access. Exceptionally, the unspent allocation may be returned to NHS England.The Government wants to ensure that every penny we allocate for dentistry is spent on dentistry, and that the ringfenced dental budget is spent on the patients who need it most.
What estimate her Department has made of the number of (a) children and (b) adults who are accessing mental health support through artificial intelligence platforms after being unable to access statutory mental health services.
No such assessment has been made. We recognise that people are facing unacceptably long waiting times to access mental health support. This is why we are transforming the current mental health system so that people can access the right support at the right time in the right place.Building on the 10-Year Health Plan, the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework, published on 24 October 2025, sets targets for integrated care boards in 2026/27 to improve the quality of and access to mental health services. This includes expanding NHS Talking Therapies and expanding the coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges.This builds on the significant progress we’ve made since July 2024 to hire almost 7,000 extra mental health workers. And by spring next year, over 900,000 children and young people will have access to a Mental Health Support team in schools and colleagues.
Pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2025 to Question 72309 on NHS dental professionals, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including areas with no NHS dentists in the Golden Hello scheme.
The Golden Hello scheme aims to support dental practices in areas that are experiencing significant dental pressures, including areas with no National Health Service dentists.The scheme is designed to encourage relocation to areas with workforce challenges, to attract new workers to the NHS, and to retain those who might have otherwise moved into private practice.