Written questions by Wheeler.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 115765, on NHS: Redundancy Pay, whether he will consider giving the NHS Staff Council a mandate to negotiate NHS partial retirement and statutory redundancy payments with trade unions.

The Department has received correspondence from the NHS Staff Council on this matter.The Department considers all requests from the NHS Staff Council for a mandate to negotiate and make changes to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service on a case-by-case basis. Changes to policy are considered in light of the available evidence, analysis, and relevant legal advice.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of giving the NHS Staff Council a mandate to negotiate NHS partial retirement and statutory redundancy payments with trade unions.

This specific assessment has not been made.Partial retirement does not mean that National Health Service staff are ineligible for redundancy payments. However, taking partial retirement may change the way in which contractual redundancy payments are calculated.The rules concerning the calculation of redundancy payments for NHS staff who have previously taken pension benefits, are determined in accordance with their contracts of employment, and statutory redundancy entitlements.Contractual redundancy provisions for staff covered by the NHS terms and conditions of service handbook, also referred to as Agenda for Change, in England were agreed and ratified in partnership by the NHS Staff Council, the collective bargaining structure made up of trade union and employer representatives.These provisions are set out under Section 16 of the NHS staff terms and conditions of service handbook. This section states that service used for the purposes of calculating previous pension benefits will not count for the calculation of a contractual redundancy payment. Statutory redundancy entitlements are unaffected.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.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2026 to Question 110592, whether his Department has made an estimate of the earliest date nerandomilist could become available to patients after NICE publishes its final guidance.

Subject to licensing, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) currently expects to publish final guidance on nerandomilast in September 2026. In formulating its recommendations, NICE's independent Appraisal Committee expects to hold its first meeting on 15 July. If the Appraisal Committee is able to recommend nerandomilast, NICE would aim to publish its final draft guidance within three weeks of the committee meeting.If recommended in final NICE guidance, the National Health Service would be required to fund treatment within three months, although some medicines are provided sooner through support from the Innovative Medicines Fund.

Whether his Department has an estimate of the earliest possible date Jascayd (nerandomilast) could be available to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients.

Nerandomilast does not currently have a United Kingdom marketing authorisation for use in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It is currently being evaluated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) which makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS.Subject to licensing, NICE currently expects to publish final guidance on nerandomilast in September 2026.

Whether his Department has considered the implications of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal for the potential approval of Jascayd (nerandomilast).

No specific consideration of the implications of the United Kingdom and United States’ Economic Prosperity Deal for the approval of Jascayd (nernadomilast) has been made. The changes that we are making to the way in which the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evaluates medicines are expected to increase the number of medicines that NICE is able to recommend for National Health Service use. NICE will continue to develop its recommendations on whether individual medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS independently on the basis of the available evidence and through extensive engagement with interested parties.

How the eligibility criteria for the Graduate Guarantee scheme for newly qualified nurses and midwives in England was determined.

The Graduate Guarantee is a workforce measure aimed at improving the access and transition into employment for newly qualified nurses and midwives in England.It is aimed at ensuring that the 2025 cohort has opportunities to apply for roles across the health and care sector, ensuring that students who qualified in September 2025 and January 2026 will directly benefit. There is no national eligibility criterion, reflecting that employment decisions sit locally with National Health Service trusts and that individuals may choose when to apply following qualification.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the Graduate Guarantee scheme for newly qualified nurses and midwives in England to include graduates who qualified prior to 2024.

No assessment has been made. There are no plans to extend the Graduate Guarantee to include graduates who qualified prior to 2024.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the planned changes to funding for Level 7 apprenticeships for Specialist Community Public Health Nurses after January 2026; and what steps his Department is taking to support skills development within the NHS workforce.

While the Department for Education has announced that the funding arrangements for Level 7 apprenticeships are changing, we are working closely with partners to ensure that health and social care has access to the skilled workforce patients need, including specialist community public health nurses.We will publish our 10 Year Workforce Plan by the end of this year. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.

What plans his Department has to increase the recruitment and retention of school nurses; how much funding was allocated for school nursing services in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial years; and what steps his Department is taking to help to ensure the effectiveness of school nursing services in supporting (i) early intervention, (ii) mental health, (iii) immunisation programmes and (iv) wider public health objectives.

The child health workforce, including school nurses, is central to how we support families to give their children the best start in life. We will ensure we have the staff we need so that children and their families are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. This will take time, but we are committed to building a health service fit for the future with the workforce it needs. School nursing is part of the Healthy Child Programme (HCP) and is commissioned by local authorities with funding from the Public Health Grant (PHG). In 2023/24, local authorities spent £305 million on services for children aged five to 19 years old. Data on local authorities’ PHG spending for the financial years following 2023/24 is not yet available. The HCP includes delivery of public health promotions such as the school nurses’ championship of early intervention, mental health awareness, the uptake of immunisation offers, and engagement with wider public health objectives. We are currently refreshing the HCP guidance to strengthen service quality and reduce unwarranted regional variation in service delivery.

Whether his Department has conducted a 360-degree supply and demand forecast for pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy to assess the long-term needs for patients.

The Department has not conducted a 360-degree supply and demand forecast for pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT). However, the Department is in regular discussion with suppliers of PERT on the latest stock availability and the actions that are being taken to mitigate the supply issue, including what steps suppliers are taking to ensure future supplies meet the long-term needs for patients in the United Kingdom.The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market.In the longer term, the Department has had interest from non-UK suppliers of PERT wishing to bring their products to the UK and, along with colleagues in the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, we are working with these potential suppliers, and if authorised, these products could further diversify and strengthen the market.While the Department's approach for managing the supply issues with PERT is not specifically informed by the COVID-19 Vaccines Taskforce experience, as we are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues for PERT.

What steps he is taking to ensure that lessons learned from the COVID-19 Vaccine Taskforce will inform its approach to managing the shortages of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT).

The Department has not conducted a 360-degree supply and demand forecast for pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT). However, the Department is in regular discussion with suppliers of PERT on the latest stock availability and the actions that are being taken to mitigate the supply issue, including what steps suppliers are taking to ensure future supplies meet the long-term needs for patients in the United Kingdom.The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market.In the longer term, the Department has had interest from non-UK suppliers of PERT wishing to bring their products to the UK and, along with colleagues in the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, we are working with these potential suppliers, and if authorised, these products could further diversify and strengthen the market.While the Department's approach for managing the supply issues with PERT is not specifically informed by the COVID-19 Vaccines Taskforce experience, as we are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues for PERT.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on the (a) consultation on NHS Right to Choose ADHD changes and (b) use of feedback from that consultation.

Ministers will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job; we will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for patients, driving productivity up and getting waiting times down.

What steps his Department is taking to increase access to NHS dentistry in Worsley and Eccles constituency.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For Worsley and Eccles constituency, this is the NHS Greater Manchester ICB.ICBs have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

How many people have been waiting over six months to access CAMHS support in (a) Salford and (b) Wigan.

A copy of two tables breaking down the number of people waiting over six months to access Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service support in Salford and Wigan since 2020 is attached.

How many referrals have been accepted by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in (a) Salford and (b) Wigan in each of the last five years.

The following table shows the number of referrals accepted by child and adolescent mental health services in Salford in each month from 2020/21 up to December 2024, the month for which most recent data is available:Month2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/21April26719628712775May32530426917184June301386223156101July385378158127130August19424333678121September317243277153175October366262295123161November343340277107176December302246305118117January 283265126107February 269300173106March 316288170169Source: NHS England The following table shows the number of referrals accepted by child and adolescent mental health services in Wigan in each month from 2020/21 up to December 2024, the month for which most recent data is available:Month2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/21April12551100444May13011197275June11896873012July7992534120August5045393923September11772621834October166107663430November163118875328December97108463425January 136829525February 115637534March 132919740Source: NHS England

How many speech and language therapists have worked for the NHS in (a) Salford, (b) Wigan and (c) the North West in each of the last five years.

The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent speech and language therapists working in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the NHS England North West region in each of the last five years: Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation TrustWrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNorth West RegionOctober 2019110351,035October 2020136341,066October 2021169391,102October 2022182341,175October 2023199361,261October 2024215371,339Source: NHS England, NHS Workforce StatisticsNote: These staff will provide services in a range of settings including in education. However, therapists will also be directly employed by other providers, including schools, independent provision and third sector/ charitable organisations for which data is not held centrally.

What the average time was between (a) referral and (b) first contact for mental health services for people aged 17 years and under in (a) Salford and (b) Wigan in each of the last five years.

The following table shows the median waiting time in days between a referral start date and first contact, within the three-month rolling reporting period, for referrals for children and young people aged under 18 years old who are supported through National Health Service funded mental health services, from August 2023, the earliest date available, to November 2024, for Salford and Wigan:SalfordReporting periodMedian wait time (days)WiganReporting PeriodMedian wait time (days) November 20246 November 20241October 20247October 20241September 20247September 20244August 20245August 20244July 20246July 20243June 20243June 20241May 20245May 20242April 20245April 20243March 20245March 20245February 20245February 20245January 20245January 20243December 20235December 20232November 20234November 20232October 20234October 20231September 20236September 20232August 20236August 20235Source: NHS Futures.

How many mental health support teams there were in (a) Worsley and Eccles constituency, (b) Salford and (c) Wigan in each year since 2014.

The following table shows a summary of mental health support teams in (a) Worsley and Eccles constituency, Salford and Wigan in each year since 2014.Financial YearNumber of teams 2021/2022Two2022/2023Two2023/2024Three teams specific to Wigan and one footprint team across Wigan and Bolton2024/2025Four Wigan teams in total, of which three are specific to Wigan and one footprint team across Wigan and Bolton.Source: NHS EnglandNote: there were no teams in existence between 2014 and 2020/21. Salford has three Community Mental Health Teams covering the Salford locality and this has been the case since prior to 2014. Since 2022, Salford has also implemented a living well offer as part of the core community mental health pathway, working into each of the five primary care networks in the city. There are also specialist teams, for example, Early Intervention in Psychosis, adult community eating disorders, Home Based Treatment and MH Liaison, in addition to primary care mental health talking therapies, covering the Salford population.Wigan mobilised its first two mental health support teams in 2021/22 with the staff in post and starting their training course in Sept 2021 and the team going live in the spring of 2022.In 2023/24 Greater Manchester Mental Health was allocated funding for 2.58 new teams for the Wigan and Bolton footprint. This was an additional team for each locality and the development of a footprint higher education offer.

How many GP practices there (a) are and (b) were in 2010 in Worsley and Eccles constituency.

The data provided has been sourced from NHS England and shows the number of general practices (GPs) in the Worsley and Eccles constituency in January 2025 and January 2014, as no data is available prior to this. The data only includes main practices and does not include branch practices. The data is as follows:- as of January 2025, there are 14 GPs in the Worsley and Eccles constituency; and- as of January 2014, there were 20 GPs in the Worsley and Eccles constituency.Practices close for a variety of reasons, including mergers or retirement, and so this does not necessarily indicate a reduction in the quality of care. When a practice does close, patients are informed of the closure and advised to register at another local practice of their choice within their area.