Written questions by Prinsley.

If his Department will take steps to ensure people with long-term health conditions can access care services near their home.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to shape their care markets and deliver services to meet diverse local needs. In performing that duty, a local authority must have regard to current and likely future demand for such services and consider how providers might meet that demand.The Government is committed to moving towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered in local communities to spot problems earlier, supporting 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. The focus for 2025/26 is on individuals with complex needs who require support from multiple services and organisations.The Government is also launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. It will consider what structural reforms may be needed where health and social care meet and who should be accountable and responsible for those services. It will look at how we recruit, retain, and recognise the workforce. And it will consider how adult social care can become truly preventative, meeting people’s needs much earlier, supporting our carers and delivering on our promise to make care ‘home first’.

What steps he is taking to help increase the uptake of patient-initiated follow-up for people with long-term conditions.

Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU) is one way in which the Government will reform follow up care to ensure more optimised and productive clinical pathways. Offering PIFU to patients gives them greater choice and control, where it is clinically recommended, so they can decide if/when they require follow up care. This in turn reduces low value follow up appointments, freeing up hospital capacity for patients who need it.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, commits to offering PIFU to patients with long-term conditions as standard in all appropriate pathways by March 2026, and to support the expansion of PIFU to at least 5% of all outpatient appointments by March 2029. The Government will implement digital and technology solutions to support this expansion, including piloting digital options for signing-up patients for PIFU via the NHS App and enhancing how patients suitable for PIFU are identified using artificial intelligence and automation.In addition, remote monitoring of conditions at home or away from direct clinical settings can help support PIFU by helping inform patients and their healthcare teams about any changes in their condition, ensuring follow-up appointments only happen when clinically needed. We will expand remote monitoring by using Patient Engagement Portals and the NHS App to host digital questionnaires, integrating remote monitoring tools with hospital administration systems, and producing technical guides for remote monitoring to support the sharing of best practice across providers.

If his Department will (a) publish a strategy to improve the management of long-term conditions and (b) request integrated care systems to develop localised action plans for their communities.

Improving health outcomes for people who live with long-term conditions is a key part of our mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future. We have committed to delivering a 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move NHS healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, and treatment to prevention. We will be carefully considering input from the public, patients, health staff, and stakeholders as we develop the plan which will include a focus on how to improve the management of long-term conditions, over the coming months. The implementation of Secure Data Environments (SDEs) allowing NHS data to be accessed through secure platforms rather than shared with researchers, will support safer and more secure access to health and care data for secondary uses, such as research into prevalence and impact. This is being delivered by major investment in digital infrastructure across the NHS in England, including the NHS Research SDE Network funded by the Data for Research and Development programme. The Single Patient Record will give clinicians in different settings access to the comprehensive records on person's health, so that they have the information they need to make the best-informed decisions when delivering care and treatment. Most services for long-term conditions are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population. It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that are convenient and meet patients’ needs. As announced by the Prime Minister on 13 March 2025, the Government is abolishing NHS England. That will put the NHS back at the centre of Government to focus on patients’ experience, less bureaucracy and on cutting waiting times at hospitals. Part of these considerations will include how national and local governance arrangements work together to improve health outcomes for NHS patients locally, including those with long-term conditions.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the management of long-term conditions.

Improving health outcomes for people who live with long-term conditions is a key part of our mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future. We have committed to delivering a 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move NHS healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, and treatment to prevention. We will be carefully considering input from the public, patients, health staff, and stakeholders as we develop the plan which will include a focus on how to improve the management of long-term conditions, over the coming months. The implementation of Secure Data Environments (SDEs) allowing NHS data to be accessed through secure platforms rather than shared with researchers, will support safer and more secure access to health and care data for secondary uses, such as research into prevalence and impact. This is being delivered by major investment in digital infrastructure across the NHS in England, including the NHS Research SDE Network funded by the Data for Research and Development programme. The Single Patient Record will give clinicians in different settings access to the comprehensive records on person's health, so that they have the information they need to make the best-informed decisions when delivering care and treatment. Most services for long-term conditions are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population. It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that are convenient and meet patients’ needs. As announced by the Prime Minister on 13 March 2025, the Government is abolishing NHS England. That will put the NHS back at the centre of Government to focus on patients’ experience, less bureaucracy and on cutting waiting times at hospitals. Part of these considerations will include how national and local governance arrangements work together to improve health outcomes for NHS patients locally, including those with long-term conditions.

What steps his Department plans to take to help integrated care systems improve data collection of the (a) prevalence and (b) impact of long-term conditions.

Improving health outcomes for people who live with long-term conditions is a key part of our mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future. We have committed to delivering a 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move NHS healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, and treatment to prevention. We will be carefully considering input from the public, patients, health staff, and stakeholders as we develop the plan which will include a focus on how to improve the management of long-term conditions, over the coming months. The implementation of Secure Data Environments (SDEs) allowing NHS data to be accessed through secure platforms rather than shared with researchers, will support safer and more secure access to health and care data for secondary uses, such as research into prevalence and impact. This is being delivered by major investment in digital infrastructure across the NHS in England, including the NHS Research SDE Network funded by the Data for Research and Development programme. The Single Patient Record will give clinicians in different settings access to the comprehensive records on person's health, so that they have the information they need to make the best-informed decisions when delivering care and treatment. Most services for long-term conditions are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population. It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that are convenient and meet patients’ needs. As announced by the Prime Minister on 13 March 2025, the Government is abolishing NHS England. That will put the NHS back at the centre of Government to focus on patients’ experience, less bureaucracy and on cutting waiting times at hospitals. Part of these considerations will include how national and local governance arrangements work together to improve health outcomes for NHS patients locally, including those with long-term conditions.

What the total number of trainee surgeons is in (a) England (b) Wales (c) Northern Ireland and (d) Scotland.

The following table shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in surgical specialty group roles by grade in the National Health Service in England, as of November 2024:GradeFTE doctorsConsultant surgeons11,203Specialty and associate specialist surgeons2,832Resident doctors with a core and specialty training level in a surgical specialty group11,228Resident doctors with foundation years on placements in surgical specialties4,292Source: Hospital and Community Health Service Workforce Statistics, NHS England.Healthcare in Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland is a devolved responsibility and so the Department does not hold the data requested.

What the total number of resident surgeons is in (a) England (b) Wales (c) Northern Ireland and (d) Scotland.

The following table shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in surgical specialty group roles by grade in the National Health Service in England, as of November 2024:GradeFTE doctorsConsultant surgeons11,203Specialty and associate specialist surgeons2,832Resident doctors with a core and specialty training level in a surgical specialty group11,228Resident doctors with foundation years on placements in surgical specialties4,292Source: Hospital and Community Health Service Workforce Statistics, NHS England.Healthcare in Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland is a devolved responsibility and so the Department does not hold the data requested.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the working conditions for trainee surgeons.

We are committed to ensuring that doctors trained in the United Kingdom remain within the National Health Service through a structured, data-driven approach to workforce retention, and to improving the working conditions of all resident doctors, including trainee surgeons.NHS England’s Enhancing Resident Doctors Working Lives programme continues to implement several measures aimed at supporting resident doctors, encouraging them to stay in training and the NHS, and reducing overall attrition. In addition, the NHS National Retention Programme is actively improving working conditions for trainee surgeons by enhancing workplace culture, promoting flexible training, and reducing burnout and attrition.On 18 February 2025, the Chief Medical Officer and the National Medical Director of NHS England jointly launched a review of postgraduate medical training. The review will cover placement options, the flexibility of training, difficulties with rotas, control and autonomy in training, and the balance between developing specialist knowledge and gaining a broad range of skills.

What the total number of consultant surgeons is in (a) England (b) Wales (c) Northern Ireland and (d) Scotland.

The following table shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in surgical specialty group roles by grade in the National Health Service in England, as of November 2024:GradeFTE doctorsConsultant surgeons11,203Specialty and associate specialist surgeons2,832Resident doctors with a core and specialty training level in a surgical specialty group11,228Resident doctors with foundation years on placements in surgical specialties4,292Source: Hospital and Community Health Service Workforce Statistics, NHS England.Healthcare in Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland is a devolved responsibility and so the Department does not hold the data requested.

What steps he has taken to incentivise dental practitioners to work in areas with significant waiting lists.

Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice and no national waiting list is in operation, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. Dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements.We acknowledge that there are areas of the country that are experiencing recruitment and retention issues and that this can mean that patients may have difficulty accessing an NHS dentist.We are taking steps to address the workforce challenges across the country. Integrated care boards have started to advertise 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.As of 10 February 2025, in England, 35 dentists have commenced in post and a further 33 dentists have been recruited but are yet to start in post. A further 249 posts are currently advertised.

What steps his Department is taking to incentivise surgeons to work in areas with high waiting lists for elective procedures.

Within the terms and conditions of employment for consultants in England, there is the facility for employers to apply a local recruitment premium in addition to the base salary, time-limited for a maximum of four years. This can be used in circumstances where there is evidence of difficulties in recruiting which cannot be remedied through a non-pay solution.The value of the premium is determined by the employer but should not typically exceed 30% of the normal starting salary for a consultant post.As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure a return to 92% of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard, including a focus on reforming delivery by working more productively, consistently, and in many cases differently, to deliver more elective care.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure consistent application of retention policies across NHS trusts.

The Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, to ensure the retention of our hardworking and dedicated staff. NHS England is leading the National Retention Programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts.Retention efforts are aligned with the NHS People Promise, which was co-developed with staff to reflect what matters to them. This ensures that trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle sexual misconduct in the NHS.

NHS England is taking a leading role in tackling sexual misconduct across the National Health Service. The NHS has a responsibility to protect staff, patients, and service users and offer safe spaces and routes for support.In 2024, NHS England launched a new national sexual misconduct people policy framework and sexual safety charter assurance framework for integrated care bards (ICBs) and trusts to adopt and adapt, so that any member of staff who has experienced inappropriate and/or harmful sexual behaviours at work is supported by their employer. The frameworks are available at the following links:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-people-sexual-misconduct-policy-framework/https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/sexual-safety-charter-assurance-framework/The new guidance was published following the launch in 2023 of the first-ever Sexual Safety Charter in collaboration with healthcare systems and people with lived experience of sexual misconduct. The Charter focuses on providing staff with clear reporting mechanisms, training and support, and ensuring that a zero-tolerance approach is taken by organisations.All ICBs and trusts have signed the Sexual Safety Charter and are taking steps to prevent sexual misconduct at work. They have also been asked to appoint a domestic abuse and sexual violence lead to implement the new sexual misconduct guidance, review policies and provide support to staff relating to domestic abuse and sexual violence. There are now more than 300 in place across England.NHS England, in collaboration with those with lived experience, has also developed NHS-wide training on sexual misconduct awareness, now available to the entire workforce.

Whether his Department plans to review the 7.5% cap on international student numbers at medical and dental schools in England.

There are currently no such plans. We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from the hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.A central part of the 10-Year Health 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.This summer we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, to treat patients on time again.

What steps the Government is taking to increase the number of clinical academics in the UK.

We recognise that clinical academics are crucial to training future generations of healthcare professionals and leading research across the health and care system. In 2023, NHS England published an Educator Workforce Strategy, setting out the actions required to ensure the sufficient capacity and quality of clinical educators. This includes planning for career pathways, both in practice and in higher education institutions and across sectors and professions.Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department is the largest funder of research training for clinical academics in the United Kingdom, supporting clinical academics at all career stages and from all professions and specialties. Since 2006, the NIHR has supported 16,000 career development awards and 13,000 awardees across 200 different professions and specialties. We are committed to working with the devolved administrations, other funders, and wider stakeholders to ensure there is a comprehensive, clear, and rewarding career pathway for clinical academics in research, addressing issues raised in the report, Clinical researchers in the UK: reversing the decline to improve population health and promote economic growth.

Whether his Department plans to engage with universities as part of the 10-year Health Plan.

Universities across England and the United Kingdom have been engaged throughout the 10-Year Health Plan’s engagement process to inform policy making. Everyone, including universities, continues to be able to share their views via the Change NHS portal in what is biggest conversation to fix the National Health Service since its creation.36 universities and university faculties in the UK have submitted organisational responses, which have now been analysed and used to inform the next stage of the Plan’s development. Universities UK are also represented at the Partner’s Council. The Council convenes over 150 leaders from organisations across the UK health and care sector, including charities and the Royal Colleges, to provide progress updates on the 10-Year Health Plan and a forum to discuss and comment on emerging themes from the engagement and policy development to date.

Whether his Department plans to provide more training places in (a) core anaesthetics and (b) across all medical specialties.

We are committed to training the staff we need, including anaesthetists and all other medical specialities, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We have launched the 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to reform and repair the National Health Service. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. NHS England has invested in 70 additional training posts in anaesthesia in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Further expansion will be determined by the upcoming Spending Review and the planned refresh of the Long Term Workforce Plan.

If he will hold discussions with NHS England on the potential merits of making 70 extra higher anaesthetic training places available every year.

We are committed to training the staff we need, including anaesthetists and all other medical specialities, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We have launched the 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to reform and repair the National Health Service. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. NHS England has invested in 70 additional training posts in anaesthesia in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Further expansion will be determined by the upcoming Spending Review and the planned refresh of the Long Term Workforce Plan.

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the number of people waiting for medical training between foundation level and speciality training.

We continue to work with NHS England to keep the selection process for all applicants to medical speciality training under review. We are committed to ensuring 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.

What estimate his Department has made of the cost to NHS England of treating complications arising from surgeries undertaken overseas by UK residents.

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