Every parliamentary written question tabled by Martin Wrigley this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 41–60 of 327 · Department of Health and Social Care
Pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2025 to Question 60619, what assessment his Department has made of the necessity of granting elevated “admin-level” access to identifiable patient data to external
NHS England has undertaken a detailed assessment of the access requirements necessary to safely operate and maintain the NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP), including within the National Data Integration Tenant, through the procurement process and supp...
With reference to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 88027 on NHS: Databases, how compliance with access controls for external contractors to NHS patient data is enforced and verified.
Access to National Health Service data within the NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) is strictly controlled and only granted to authorised users for defined NHS purposes. Access to the NHS FDP is subject to comprehensive monitoring and governance, incl...
With reference to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 88027 on NHS: Databases, what logging systems are used to record and review access to identifiable patient data within the National Data
The National Data Integration Tenant operates within a secure environment with strict controls governing access to data.All access to data within the system is logged and auditable. Comprehensive audit trails are maintained which record user activity, inc...
Pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2025 to Question 60619, from what date external contractors have been granted elevated or admin-level access to identifiable patient data within the Federated Data
Administrative access arrangements for contracted suppliers have been in place as part of the implementation and ongoing operation of the NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP), as part of the controlled processes required to configure, operate, and mainta...
Pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2025 to Question 60619 on NHS: Databases, how many external contractors have been granted elevated access permissions within the Federated Data Platform, broken dow
There are currently three contractors with elevated administrative permissions within the National Data Integration Tenant (NDIT) Platform and three contractors within the national instance of the NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) with elevated admini...
With reference to the Answer of 1 July 2025 to Question 60619, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of expanding high-level access permissions on the NHS principle of data minimisati
There has not been an expansion of high-level access permissions. NHS England has not identified any adverse impact on the principle of data minimisation from the management of access permissions within the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP).The NHS FDP op...
What steps they are taking to improve access to disability equipment.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, and responsibility for providing equipment to disabled people typically falls to local authorities and the National Health Service...
With reference to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 88027, whether the Data Protection Impact Assessment for the Federated Data Platform has been updated to reflect broader access roles fo
Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) for the NHS Federated Data Platform, including those relating to the National Data Integration Tenant (NDIT), have been developed and maintained to reflect the platform’s design, operation and access controls, in...
What steps she is taking to improve diagnosis rates for infants and new-borns of type 1 diabetes.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recently updated the clinical guidelines on type 1 diabetes in children and young people which support clinicians in diagnosis. The updated guidelines are available at the following link: www.nice....
What steps she is taking to support residents who are suffering from alcoholic addiction in Newton Abbot.
Local authorities are responsible for commissioning alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services as part of their public health responsibilities. As a condition of the Public Health Grant, local authorities are responsible for improving the uptake of,...
What assessment he has made of the impact of the current NHS policy of only providing specialist support after three miscarriages on pregnant women and people's mental health and wellbeing.
No central assessment has been made of either the impact of providing specialist support after three miscarriages, the extent to which treatable conditions linked to miscarriage are identified early under existing pathways, or the number of miscarriages p...
If he will bring forward legislative proposals to end the requirement for three miscarriages before pregnant women and people are offered support following a miscarriage.
No central assessment has been made of either the impact of providing specialist support after three miscarriages, the extent to which treatable conditions linked to miscarriage are identified early under existing pathways, or the number of miscarriages p...
What plans he has for the NHS Federated Data Platform after 15 February 2027.
The Medium-Term Planning Framework 2026/27 to 2028/29 sets out the expectation that all providers and integrated care boards onboard to the NHS Federated Data Platform and start making use of core products, data capabilities, and population health management tools by 2028/29. The framework available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/medium-term-planning-framework-delivering-change-together-2026-27-to-2028-29/The supplier contract will be reviewed this year in line with standard contract management processes, and a decision will be made on its extension.
How NHS organisations will remain financially sustainable where activity is shifted out of acute settings.
Lord Darzi’s independent investigation into the National Health Service in England identified that the NHS’s current financial trajectory is not sustainable, and that spending has risen sharply and productivity has fallen. We are clear that without reform, rising demand, an ageing population, and inefficiencies will cause the NHS to crowd out other public services, undermining long‑term sustainability of the NHS.The reforms we have set out in the 10-Year Health Plan will ensure that the NHS has long-term sustainability, by shifting from hospital to community care to deliver care that is cheaper and more effective, by shifting from analogue to digital to raise productivity and reduce unit costs, and by shifting from sickness to prevention. Our plan is to bend the cost curve in acute services, so that costs grow more slowly via a combination of shift activity to community settings and increasing productivity. As per existing funding arrangements, acute providers will be fully funded for all activity they undertake.To ensure that NHS organisations remain financially sustainable during these reforms, we have published the Medium-Term Planning Framework 2026/27 to 2028/29, published in October 2025, which required integrated care boards and NHS providers to complete an integrated planning process with their three‑year numerical plans and five‑year narratives for the commissioning and delivery of NHS services, including the shift from hospital to community over this three year period. These plans will ensure that reform is delivered in a managed way that protects the financial sustainability of NHS organisations.
What the evidential basis is that shifting care into community settings will reduce waiting times and improve patient outcomes.
Shifting care into community settings is at the heart of the Government’s efforts to modernise and improve productivity in the National Health Service. Our vision is for a new model of planned care that is local where possible. This shift will provide rapid access to patient-centred services.The Elective Reform Plan sets out our plan to deliver care in the right place, so patients are able to access the right care more quickly. This includes, for example, expanding the use of Advice and Guidance (A&G), which helps general practitioners and hospital specialists to work together to make the best treatment plans for patients, and decide whether a hospital referral is truly needed.Where the outcome of A&G is for care management in the community, we expect patients to be seen more quickly, closer to home, benefiting from earlier specialist input. Ensuring patients receive the right care the first time can reduce the waiting list, so that people who need hospital care can receive it in a timely manner.The plan is working. The waiting list has decreased to 7.22 million in February 2026, a drop of over 405,000 since July 2024. 18-week performance has improved by over 3% from the start of July 2024. The number of waits over 18 weeks has decreased to 2.7 million in February 2026, the lowest it’s been since July 2022.
Whether interim capital support will be provided for the estate at Torbay Hospital ahead of full redevelopment.
We are supporting the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust to ensure Torbay Hospital remains safe, comfortable, and capable of delivering high quality National Health Service care ahead of the delivery of a replacement hospital. As a first step towards this, Torbay Hospital received over £9.7 million from the Estates Safety Fund in 2025/26 for vital works.The Estates Safety Fund will continue over the next nine years with a total of £6.75 billion of investment to continue addressing poor quality estate. The NHS South West Region, responsible for Torbay Hospital, has been allocated £271.2 million from the Estates Safety Fund for the 2026/27 to 2029/30 period, alongside a further £339.0 million in planning assumption to 2034/35.The regional teams are currently prioritising the funding between hospital sites across the South West, including allocations for this financial year, and will be considering the needs of Torbay Hospital as part of this process.In addition to national capital, the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust has been allocated £82.4 million in operational capital across 2026/27 to 2029/30, which can be allocated to local priorities, including estates works.
Whether the scope of the Torbay Hospital rebuild has been revised in the context of the 10-year health plan.
The scope of individual New Hospital Programme (NHP) schemes, including Torbay Hospital, are only confirmed and agreed through the approval of a Full Business Case. The NHP will build “right-sized” hospitals, based on consistent and robust assumptions appropriate for local health needs that supports the shift from hospital to community care. To support this, the programme has developed a National Health Service demand and capacity model reflecting demographic change, including population growth, which will inform future business case development.
What support is provided to recruit and retain staff in coastal and rural health economies such as Torbay and South Devon.
Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.
What the top risks are to delivering the Neighbourhood Health Framework; and how those risks are mitigated in areas with ageing hospital infrastructure such as Torbay.
The Neighbourhood Health Framework is designed to empower local leaders to develop and scale neighbourhood health. Risks to delivery include workforce capacity and capability, the need for effective collaboration across local partners, and the ability to align neighbourhood health models with existing estate and infrastructure.These risks are mitigated through a locally led and deliberately non-prescriptive approach. The framework sets national minimum aims and objectives but enables systems to build on what already works locally and prioritise activity according to population need and local context.We are committed to addressing the risks posed by poor quality infrastructure and ensuring facilities, like Torbay Hospital, remain safe, comfortable, and capable of delivering the 10-Year Health Plan’s radical vision for National Health Service care. As a first step towards this, Torbay Hospital received over £9.7 million from the Estates Safety Fund in 2025/26 for vital works. The Estates Safety Fund will continue over the next nine years with a total of £6.75 billion of investment to carry on addressing the poor quality of the estate. The regional teams are currently prioritising the funding between hospital sites across the South West, including allocations for this financial year, and will be considering the needs of Torbay Hospital as part of this process.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of adult social care capacity on delivering the 10-year health plan.
A fairly paid adult social care workforce with the right training, qualifications, and values will be able to provide high quality tailored care and support to those who need it and will support the priorities that we set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, namely shifting care from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from treating sickness to promoting prevention.The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how the Government’s aims to shift towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered locally to create healthier communities, spot problems earlier, and wrap around people’s lives to help people stay independent for longer. This speaks to the heart of what adult social care, done well, already is. More integrated working between the National Health Service, adult social care, local government, and civil society will be crucial to the delivery of neighbourhood health.The Government recognises the scale of the reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth, and improve the recruitment and retention of the workforce. That is why we plan to introduce the first ever Fair Pay Agreement in 2028 to improve pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce, backed by £500 million of new investment.