Written questions by Burke.

Whether his Department has had recent discussions with Marie Curie on funding for the hospice sector.

Last year, I met key palliative care and end-of-life care stakeholders, including Marie Curie, in a roundtable format with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England, and we will consider contracting and commissioning arrangements as part of this work. We recognise that there is currently a mix of contracting models in the hospice sector. By supporting integrated care boards 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.Officials are working closely with Marie Curie and a number of other stakeholders from the hospice sector in the development of the MSF.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce barriers to treatment and care between UK nations.

While health is predominantly devolved, working together across the United Kingdom on health and social care is ingrained in our values. NHS emergency care is available for all patients, regardless of borders and we are working with the Devolved Governments to support people to lead independent, healthier lives for longer. This government has provided an additional £6.6 billion through the Barnett formula to support the Scottish Government.

What steps he is taking to simplify health treatments between the UK nations.

While health is predominantly devolved, the Department holds some reserved functions, and working together across the United Kingdom on health and social care is ingrained in the values of our National Health Service and social care sector.The Department ...

What steps he is taking to help (a) reduce bureaucracy and (b) improve access to treatments.

While health is a devolved matter, to reduce bureaucracy the Government and NHS England have launched a Red Tape Challenge, to address bureaucracy between primary and secondary care, to give our health professionals time back to do what they do best.We ar...