Written questions by Bedford.

When he expects the revised NHS dental contract to be implemented.

We are committed to reforming the dental contract, but we need to take the time to get this right. There are no perfect payment models and careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system so that we deliver genuine improvements for patients and the profession. The Government’s ambition is to deliver fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.As a first step to reforming the dental contract, we are consulting on a package of changes to improve access to, and the quality of, National Health Service dentistry which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation is accessible at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reformsThe consultation was launched on 8 July and will close on 19 August.

Whether his Department plans to conduct a review of the Carr-Hill formula in Primary Care Networks.

On 25 June 2025, we announced that the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan would address the inequalities in general practice (GP) services across England. We know that the Carr-Hill formula is considered outdated and recognise the importance of ensuring funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country.The Government will review how health need is reflected in the Carr-Hill funding formula for GPs. Details of the review, including timeframes, will be confirmed in due course.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of integrated care boards in delivering new (a) GP and (b) medical centres in Leicestershire.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are best placed to understand the needs of their local population and to make decisions on new general practice (GP) surgeries based on those needs. ICBs’ annual commissioning plans must consider requirements for new practices, including those driven by population growth, contract expiries, or unplanned closures.The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future. That is why we have set out our commitment to fix the front door to the National Health Service, for example through the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund for upgrades to more than a thousand GP surgeries across England over this financial year.The NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB has been allocated the following amounts from national capital programmes and operational capital for 2025/26:- £14.8 million from the Constitutional Standards Recovery Fund;- £9.3 million from the Estates Safety Fund;- £1.8 million from the Primary Care Utilisation Fund; and- £70.8 million in operational capital funding.We will trial Neighbourhood Health Centres to bring together a range of services, ensuring healthcare is closer to home and patients receive the care they deserve.

What the cost to the public purse is for free prescriptions for people over the age of 60.

There were 781 million items with a combined total net ingredient cost (NIC) of £5.9 billion dispensed to patients aged 60 years old and over in 2024/2025.National Health Service patients pay a fixed charge for each prescription item dispensed in primary care, unless they are exempt from prescription charges. All patients aged 60 years old and over are exempt so no prescription charges are collected from these patients. The flat-rate NHS prescription charge is not related either to the cost of the item prescribed or to the cost to the NHS of dispensing it. As well as the NIC of drugs and appliances, the cost of medicines prescribed in the NHS include the dispensing fees and allowances paid to pharmacists and appliance contractors for the service they provide to the NHS.To note, the NIC is the basic price of a drug excluding value-added tax. It does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income. The data is taken from supplementary data alongside official Prescription Cost Analysis statistics, for 2024/2025.

What role the voluntary and community sector will have in delivering the Neighbourhood Cancer Care model in the National Cancer Plan.

The National Cancer Plan will seek to foster improved collaboration with the voluntary and community sector. We are committed to moving towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered locally to create healthier communities, spot problems earlier, and to support people to stay healthier and maintain their independence for longer.Neighbourhood Health Guidelines have been published alongside the 2025/26 NHS Operational Planning Guidance, and the 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, to help integrated care boards, local authorities, and health and care providers to continue to progress neighbourhood health in 2025/26, in advance of the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan. NHS England has also recently published case studies alongside this, setting out examples of existing good practices, on 5 March 2025. The full vision for the health system will be set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The National Cancer Plan will be published later this year, following the 10-Year Health Plan.

What steps he is taking to (a) reduce inequalities in cancer care and (b) improve outcomes for underserved communities through the National Cancer Plan.

Reducing inequalities in cancer diagnosis, care, and outcomes is a key priority for the National Cancer Plan. The plan will look at targeted improvements needed across different cancer types to reduce disparities in cancer survival, and will develop interventions to tackle these. This includes looking at protected characteristics, as well as inequalities related to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and geographic location.We are committed to engaging with patient groups and all communities to make sure that we hear and learn from different voices to shape the long-term vision for cancer. We are also working closely with charities who focus on tackling health inequalities to develop the plan, which will be published later this year.

Whether he plans establish a governance framework for (a) monitoring and (b) ensuring accountability in the delivery of the National Cancer Plan.

Governance mechanisms for monitoring and ensuring accountability for delivery will be established as part of the development of the National Cancer Plan, which will be published later this year.

How many permanent civil servants in his Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.

During the period from the start of the 2022/23 financial year until the end of the 2024/25 financial year, the Department has dismissed five individuals for poor performance. We are unable to provide further information about specific years due to the low numbers involved in each year, which could lead to the identification of individuals.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of specialist training contracts for junior doctors.

We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure that patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.To reform the NHS and make it fit for the future, we have launched a 10-Year Health Plan as part of the Government’s five long-term missions. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of UK-trained qualified dentists.

We are determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry, but it will take time and there are no quick fixes. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions.Integrated care boards are recruiting 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.We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS. A central part of the plan will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities.We will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

What estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of correcting cosmetic dental surgery undertaken by British nationals abroad in the last 12 months.

The Department does not hold data on the overall costs to the National Health Service of treating complications arising from cosmetic, including dental, procedures undertaken overseas. We are exploring ways to improve our understanding of the scale and impact of these costs on NHS services.

What estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of correcting cosmetic surgery undertaken by British Nationals abroad.

The Department does not have data on the overall costs to the National Health Service for treating complications from cosmetic procedures conducted overseas. We are exploring ways to improve our understanding of the scale of the cost to the NHS.

Whether his Department plans to introduce regulations for the use of solo carers for elderly people.

We have understood that the term solo carers refers to personal assistants. The Department has no current plans to introduce regulations for the use of solo carers for elderly people.English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs, and statutory guidance directs them to ensure that there is sufficient workforce in adult social care. Much of the responsibility of recruitment and retention of the workforce rests with adult social care employers, who are largely private providers.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 7264 on Liver Diseases, how many community diagnostic centres provide transient elastography liver scans; and what steps his Department has taken to improve early detection of liver disease in high risk groups in (a) primary and (b) community care settings.

As of 16 February 2025, 14 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are providing transient elastography liver scans, also known as fibroscans. By 31 March 2025, one further CDC is expected to become operational and able to offer fibroscans. NHS England is taking steps to improve the early detection of liver disease in high risk groups, both in primary and community care settings.As of the end of February 2025, the Community Liver Health Check Programme is now in place across 19 areas, helping to identify individual patients at greater risk of cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis. The programme is identifying people at high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and referring them into, as well as supporting them to stay in, surveillance programmes. From June 2022 to January 2025, over 93,500 fibroscans have been delivered through the pilots, with 6,421 people having enrolled into HCC surveillance.Primary Care Liver Case Finding pilots have also been funded across 12 primary care networks, as of the end of February 2025. These pilots used primary care records to identify patients at high risk of cirrhosis, in order to offer them blood tests and fibroscans. Over 12,700 people have been tested, and 300 people have been identified as having advanced liver disease requiring cancer surveillance, since the pilot began. These pilots are now being evaluated.The continued funding of Laboratory Information Management Systems will also be a key step in enabling the development of liver disease pathways starting in primary care, along with the use of intelligent liver function tests, which are an effective primary diagnostic test.

What steps his Department is taking to help support General Practitioners to use new technologies.

The national General Practice Improvement Programme provides tailored support to general practices to make changes and improvements. This includes supporting practices to make the best use of technology to implement the modern general practice model, to address the challenges of rising demand and increasing complexity. In addition, many practices have implemented online consultation and triage systems, enhancing patient access and experience.The Department is also in the process of updating Part IX of the Drug Tariff. The intention is to increase comparison between medical technology products prescribed in primary care, and therefore increase meaningful choice for clinicians and patients, as well as reducing the administrative burden on health and social care professionals. These updates will also support the adoption of new innovative devices in primary care.

Whether he plans to establish national (a) testing and (b) screening for prostate cancer.

In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries.The UK NSC review for prostate cancer screening is currently underway. The evidence review is due to conclude later in 2025. After this, the UK NSC will make a recommendation. Ministers will then consider whether to accept the recommendation.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision for people discharged from mental health units.

The statutory guidance on discharge from mental health inpatient settings makes clear that National Health Service mental health trusts should have a clear plan in place for the ongoing care and support that a patient requires after discharge from a mental health inpatient setting. This should cover their pharmacological, psychological, social, cultural, and physical health, their education, housing, and finances, and any other individual needs or wishes.Alongside this, NHS England is also developing new core standards of care for community mental health services to support the continued improvement of care received by people with serious mental illness who require intensive community treatment and follow-up, but where engagement is a challenge.As part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future and shift care from hospitals into the community by improving community and crisis services, NHS England is piloting new models of care in the community for those with the most serious mental illnesses. New mental health centres will open in six neighbourhood areas from this spring, and will provide people and their families with support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, if they are in crisis, without needing to book an appointment, as well as providing housing and employment advice to support them to stay well.The Mental Health Bill, currently before Parliament, also aims to strengthen discharge arrangements for people detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the effectiveness of the NHS Triage system.

Triage is used across the National Health Service, for example in urgent and emergency care and mental health services, and is an effective way of prioritising patient need. The NHS pathways, a clinical decision support tool, used by NHS 111, is continuously reviewed to ensure it remains effective, safe, and that it adequately responds to patients’ clinical needs

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the NHS Triage system.

Triage is used across the National Health Service, for example in urgent and emergency care and mental health services, and is an effective way of prioritising patient need. The NHS pathways, a clinical decision support tool, used by NHS 111, is continuously reviewed to ensure it remains effective, safe, and that it adequately responds to patients’ clinical needs

If he will list the non-departmental public bodies overseen by his Department he plans to abolish.

The Prime Minister announced the abolition of NHS England, the largest arm’s length body in England, on 13 March 2025, and my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, followed this with a statement to Parliament.