Every parliamentary written question tabled by Mark Sewards this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 57 · Department of Health and Social Care
What steps he is taking to ensure that people feel safe providing feedback where that feedback is critical of NHS or local authority services under the proposed arrangements.
Integrated care boards will have a statutory obligation to obtain the views of people who use health services, those who may use health services, and their carers and representatives. Local authorities will have the same responsibility in respect of care ...
Who will own the intellectual property in products developed using the Federated Data Platform.
The NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) safely connects information from different systems across the National Health Service into a single, secure environment. This allows staff to co-ordinate care to improve outcomes for patients. The NHS FDP is del...
What assessment he has made of trends in the level of regional variation in access to migraine diagnosis and treatment in England; and what steps he is taking to reduce inequalities in access to mi
The Government recognises the significant impact that migraine can have on individuals’ quality of life and is committed to improving care and outcomes for people living with this condition.Responsibility for the planning and commissioning of headache and...
Whether he plans to publish (a) criteria and (b) performance metrics that will inform a decision on exercising the break clause in the Federated Data Platform contract before that decision is taken
The NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) safely connects information from different systems across the National Health Service into a single, secure environment. This allows staff to co-ordinate care to improve outcomes for patients. The NHS FDP is del...
What assessment he has made of the impact of abolishing local Healthwatch on public trust in providing feedback on health and care services.
An impact assessment has been undertaken and published alongside the introduction of the Health Bill 2026. It outlines the non-monetised benefits, including the streamlining of the landscape and legislation, avoiding duplication of activity, and increased...
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a standardised Parkinson’s Passport to support people with Parkinson’s in (a) NHS hospital settings and (b) workplace settings.
The Government is committed to improving health outcomes for people with neurological conditions, including Parkinsons disease. The Parky Charter, supported by the three big Parkinson’s charities, includes a call for Parkinson’s passports. These passports...
What guidance will be issued to Integrated Care Boards and local authorities on how to deliver independent and inclusive engagement with local communities.
On behalf of my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the Department will set the direction, issuing clear guidance to integrated care boards and local authorities on obtaining and actioning the views of local people on health...
What steps his Department is taking to reduce delays between qualification, professional registration, and commencing employment for newly qualified nurses and midwives.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are working with higher education institutions (HEIs) to set a standard for the confirmation of course completion, so that newly qualified nurses can begin work as soon as they are able. This work is due for compl...
How many newly qualified nurses and midwives are expected to join the Nursing and Midwifery Council register in (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27; and how many Band 5 nursing and midwifery vacancies were
The Nursing and Midwifery Council publishes data twice a year on the makeup of its professional register, and this includes information on the number of people trained in the United Kingdom who have joined the register for the first time, which will be a ...
What steps his Department is taking to implement the Graduate Guarantee for newly qualified nurses and midwives; and what metrics will be used to measure its impact.
NHS England is actively monitoring future nursing and midwifery student numbers and will continue to assess the efficacy of the 2025/26 Graduate Guarantee as a mechanism. There are a range of measures to support students, universities, and clinical educat...
What assessment he has made of accessibility to NHS mental health services for residents in Leeds South West and Morley, including average waiting times for assessment and treatment.
NHS North East and Yorkshire have stated that for NHS Talking Therapies services, the current waiting time from referral to assessment is approximately six weeks, with faster access available where clinically necessary. For children and young people’s men...
Whether his Department has issued guidance to NHS employers on the relationship between partial retirement and entitlement to contractual redundancy payments.
Contractual redundancy terms are set out in the Agenda for Change NHS terms and conditions of service handbook under section 16, more specifically paragraph 16.6, for National Health Service staff who are on Agenda for Change contracts in England or those whose terms refer dynamically to the Agenda for Change.The Department commissions NHS Employers to provide guidance for employers on a range of topics, including NHS redundancy arrangements and retirement options for NHS staff. This guidance clearly sets out the position in relation to partial retirement and redundancy. NHS employers are expected to comply with both contractual and statutory obligations when determining entitlement.
What steps he is taking to help ensure that NHS staff who took partial retirement and subsequently apply for Voluntary Redundancy are not disadvantaged in their entitlement to contractual redundancy payments.
Entitlement to contractual redundancy payments is set out in the Agenda for Change NHS terms and conditions of service handbook, under section 16, for National Health Service staff that are on Agenda for Change contracts in England, or those whose terms refer dynamically to the Agenda for Change. The NHS national voluntary redundancy scheme follows the same Agenda for Change principles.Where an employee has taken partial retirement, the Department expects employers to apply the contractual redundancy provisions to the individual’s circumstances and ensure that staff are treated fairly and consistently.Taking partial retirement does not make staff ineligible for redundancy payments, however, it will affect how any contractual redundancy payment is calculated. In line with Agenda for Change paragraph 16.6, service which has been used to calculate previous pension benefits does not count again when calculating a contractual redundancy payment. Statutory redundancy entitlements are separate and should be met in accordance with statutory rules.
What steps his Department is taking to increase public awareness of the health risks associated with inhaling nitrous oxide.
The Department has worked with the Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Association to develop lesson plans on drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, which include specific references to the dangers of nitrous oxide. The lesson plans target primary and secondary students, teaching them how to manage influences and pressure, and keep themselves healthy and safe. They are available at the following link:https://pshe-association.org.uk/drugeducationThe Government also has a drug and information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce drug and alcohol misuse and its harms by providing awareness to young people, parents, and concerned others. Information on nitrous oxide and the danger of its misuse is available at the following link:https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/nitrous-oxide
Whether his Department has considered the potential merits of establishing a compensation scheme for women who have experienced harm associated with pelvic mesh implants.
The Government is carefully considering the work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out recommendations for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, including options for financial compensation.The Government has deep sympathy for all those affected and recognises the profound impact that these harms have had on individuals and their families.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has been clear that he wants to make meaningful progress during this Parliament, although a decision to provide compensation has not yet been made. We recognise how difficult and disappointing this uncertainty is for those affected, and we will ensure that the public is kept informed as soon as any decision on redress is made.I met with the Patient Safety Commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes since I have been in post, and had a very fruitful discussion about the ongoing health initiatives led by the Department regarding sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. Details of the Government’s work to date are set out in recent letters to the Dr Hughes, which are published on her website.
What steps his Department is taking to support families who travel long distances for NHS‑commissioned inpatient mental health care.
We recognise that being sent to a hospital far away from home, family, and support networks means a poorer experience of care for patients and increased safety risks, which is why we are working to end this practice. We have invested £75 million of capital funding in 2025/26 to improve inpatient care and help stop mental health patients being sent far from home for treatment. A national quality improvement programme is in place across England to improve the culture of care in all mental health hospitals.Through the 10-Year Health Plan we will move care closer to home by reducing ‘out of area placements’ for mental health patients by March 2027. The NHS England Capital Guidance for 2026/27 to 2029/30, published in November 2025, makes £473 million of capital funding available for systems and encourages them to establish community based mental health centres, alongside other capital priorities. These include eliminating inappropriate out of area placements.Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights protects the right to a family life. All patients have the right to maintain contact with, and be visited by, anyone they wish to see, subject to carefully limited exceptions. The value of visits in maintaining links with family and community networks is recognised as a key element in a patient’s care, treatment, and recovery. Every effort should be made to assist patients to maintain contact with friends and family, including considering the need to travel for visits when the patient is placed out of area.Where the patient is detained under the Mental Health Act, the Code of Practice sets out that commissioners should consider whether they can provide any assistance where there are difficulties visiting because of distance. Local authorities should also consider whether it would be appropriate to provide financial support to enable families to visit children and young people placed in hospital, taking into account their duties to promote contact between children and young people and their families. Such duties arise when children and young people are being looked after by local authorities as well as when they are accommodated in hospital for three months or more. Consideration of any transfer to another hospital must include whether the transfer would give the patient greater access to carers or have the opposite effect.
What steps his department is taking to improve (i) support, and (ii) access to treatments, for people with (a) Multiple System Atrophy, and (b) Parkinson’s.
At the national level, there are several initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with Parkinson’s and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), including the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology. NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme, which has developed a new model of integrated care for neurology services, to support integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including those with Parkinson’s and MSA. NICE has also published guidelines on Parkinson’s disease, namely NG71, covering the diagnosis and management in people aged 18 years old and over. Under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is working to improve access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs across all rare conditions such as MSA. In February 2025, we published the fourth England action plan reporting on progress.
What assessment his Department have made on the impact of participation in (a) gyms, (b) swimming pools, and (c) leisure centres on men’s (i) mental and (ii) physical health.
The Government knows that addressing physical inactivity and getting people moving more is important for improving health outcomes, well-being, reducing demand on the National Health Service, and supporting economic growth.Our 10-Year Health Plan sets out our ambition to break down barriers and take a cross-sector approach to building movement back into everyday lives. This requires a collective effort and there is an important role for the leisure and fitness sector through providing facilities and opportunities to get people active and reap the associated health benefits.On 19 November, to coincide with International Men’s Day, we published England’s first ever Men’s Health Strategy. The strategy includes actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community, and family networks, address societal norms, and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men. The strategy recognises the importance of meeting men where they are and includes investment in community-based health and suicide prevention programmes and a new partnership with the Premier League to ensure men know where to go for mental health support.
What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of waiting times for children and young people accessing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
We know too many children and young people are waiting too long for mental health support, and through our Plan for Change, we’re determined to give children and young people the best start in life. The Government is expanding access to mental health support teams in all schools and colleges to reach all pupils by 2029, ensuring that every pupil has access to early support services. This expansion will ensure that up to 900,000 more children and young people will have access to support from trained education mental health practitioners in 2025/26. More widely, we are, rolling out young futures hubs. The Government’s first 50 young futures hubs will bring together services at a local level to support children and young people, helping to ensure that young people can access early advice and wellbeing intervention. We will work to ensure there is no wrong door for young people who need support with their mental health. We have also committed to hiring 8,500 more mental health staff to reduce waiting times. Thus far, we have hired almost 7,000 extra mental health workers since July 2024.
What steps his Department is taking to improve access to NHS dental services for (a) carers and (b) frontline care workers.
We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a National Health Service dentist including for carers and front-line workers. We have asked integrated care boards (ICBs) to commission extra urgent dental appointments from 1 April 2025.ICBs are also recruiting dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. The Government is committed to achieving fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.We recently held a full public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and the quality of NHS dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation closed on 19 August 2025. The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.