Written questions by Heylings.

What steps his Department is taking to improve preventative and community care.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What steps he is taking to improve GP to patient ratios.

We are starting to see consistent growth in the general practice (GP) workforce. We have funded primary care networks with an additional £160 million to recruit recently qualified GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. Over 2,500 individual GPs have now been recruited, preventing them graduating into unemployment. We are committed to expanding the GP workforce further, by training thousands more GPs over the course of this Parliament. We have taken the first steps towards this, with an additional 250 training places available this year, taking the total to 4,250 places with plans to expand this further.Each GP is required to provide services to meet the reasonable needs of their patients. There is no NHS England recommendation for how many patients a GP should have assigned, or the ratio of GPs or other practice staff to patients. The demands each patient places on their GP are different and can be affected by many different factors, including rurality and patient demographics. It is necessary to consider the workforce for each practice as a whole, not only GPs but also the range of health professionals available who are able to respond to the needs of their patients.

When he plans to respond substantively to Question 90841 tabled by the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire on 13 November 2025.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 January 2025 to Question 90841.

What recent assessment he has made of progress against the commitment in the NHS 10 Year Plan for Health to launch a new large-scale study to sequence the genomes of 150,000 adults and assess how genomics can be used in routine preventive care.

The 10-Year Health Plan for England committed to launching a large-scale study, led by Genomics England, to sequence 150,000 adult genomes and assess how genomics can support routine preventive care. Work is now underway to design the study, develop scientific and clinical methodologies, and establish governance in line with major programme standards. Genomics England has commissioned a structured literature review and launched the Genomics, Healthcare and You engagement programme to understand the diverse public and professional perspectives on pre-emptive, preventative population healthcare, while building trust and transparency. This engagement will run through 2025/26, with interim findings shaping study design and recruitment strategies which will be developed in 2026/27. Subject to ethics approval, the recruitment and sequencing of participants is expected to begin from 2027.

When he plans to launch the study to sequence the genomes of 150,000 adults.

The 10-Year Health Plan for England committed to launching a large-scale study, led by Genomics England, to sequence 150,000 adult genomes and assess how genomics can support routine preventive care. Work is now underway to design the study, develop scientific and clinical methodologies, and establish governance in line with major programme standards. Genomics England has commissioned a structured literature review and launched the Genomics, Healthcare and You engagement programme to understand diverse public and professional perspectives on pre-emptive, preventative population healthcare, while building trust and transparency. This engagement will run through 2025/26, with interim findings shaping study design and recruitment strategies which will be developed in 2026/27. Subject to ethics approval, the recruitment and sequencing of participants is expected to begin from 2027.

What steps his Department are taking to reduce emergency hospital admissions involving people who are in the last 12 months of life.

Our 10-Year Health Plan sets out that community-based advice and support will help more people die in their home, while community teams will work closely with care homes and paramedics to share care plans to avoid people being taken to accident and emergency unless absolutely necessary. Those teams can include hospice outreach staff and palliative care professionals. Additionally, rapid response teams will help symptom management, including pain.The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England. I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1087, which I gave to the House on 24 November 2025. NHS England has published universal principles for advanced care planning (ACP). These principles facilitate a consistent national approach to ACP in England. The principles focus on the importance of providing opportunities for a person and their family or carers to engage in meaningful discussions, led by the person concerned, which consider that person’s priorities and preferences, including the place of care, when they are nearing the end of life. The universal principles for ACP are available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/universal-principles-for-advance-care-planning/

What steps his Department are taking to ensure that England has a palliative care workforce able to cope with increases in demand for end of life care.

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 National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it, including in palliative care and end of life care.The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England. I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1087, which I gave to the House on 24 November 2025.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the early identification of palliative care needs.

Early identification of someone who has palliative and end of life care needs is vital. There are tools to aid clinicians in identifying those approaching the end of life, for example the Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool and the EARLY toolkit. Further information on the Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool and the EARLY toolkit is available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.spict.org.uk/the-spict/https://www.england.nhs.uk/north-west/north-west-coast-strategic-clinical-networks/our-networks/palliative-and-end-of-life-care/for-professionals/early-toolkit-for-primary-care/The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England. I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1087, which I gave to the House on 24 November 2025.

If his Department will consider providing financial support for children living with Coeliac disease.

We recognise the pressures families face in managing coeliac disease, particularly the additional costs of maintaining a strict gluten-free (GF) diet, which is the only effective treatment for this condition.The national prescribing position in England remains that GF bread and mixes can be provided to coeliac patients on a National Health Service prescription, and a wide range of these items continue to be listed in Part XV of the Drug Tariff. This means that prescribers can issue NHS prescriptions, based on a shared decision between prescriber and patient, while also being mindful of local and national guidance. Children under 16 years old, and those aged between 16 to 18 years old in full-time education, are entitled to free NHS prescriptions, ensuring that where integrated care boards support GF prescribing, eligible children can access these products without charge.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure sustainable long-term funding for hospices through Integrated Care Boards.

The Department and NHS England are currently working at pace to develop plans on how best to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.We are supporting hospices in England with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £80 million for children’s and young people’s hospices over the next three financial years, giving them stability to plan ahead and focus on what matters most, caring for their patients.

What steps his Department is taking to improve coordination between hospital trusts, Integrated Care Boards and hospices to support patient transitions from hospital to community-based end-of-life care.

National Health Service bodies and local authorities have a duty to co-operate to provide appropriate discharge support according to local need to enable effective and timely discharge. This is of particular importance for individuals who may require palliative and end of life care services.The Hospital discharge and community support guidance outlines that health and care providers should collaborate to prevent common issues that could disrupt the provision of care as part of the discharge process. Providers should also have regard to the fast-track pathway tool for NHS continuing healthcare to ensure individuals receive timely, appropriate, and compassionate support following discharge. The Hospital discharge and community support guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hospital-discharge-and-community-support-guidance/hospital-discharge-and-community-support-guidanceThe Department and NHS England are currently working to develop plans on how best to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of (a) NHS and (b) hospice funding allocations in (i) Greater Cambridge and (ii) other high-growth areas.

NHS England is responsible for determining allocations of financial resources to integrated care boards (ICBs). This process is independent of the Government, and NHS England takes advice on the underlying formula from the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation.ICB allocations for 2025/26 were published on 30 January 2025, and allocations for 2026/27 to 2028/29 will be published in due course. Further information on allocations in 2025/26 is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/allocation-of-resources-2025-26/Palliative care services are included in the list of services an ICB must commission. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.  The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of palliative care and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment.The Department and NHS England are currently working at pace to develop plans on how best to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care, including that provided by hospices, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.We are supporting hospices in England with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. The Arthur Rank Hospice in Cambridge is receiving £941,496 from this funding.

Whether he has had discussions with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board on the (a) public petition and (b) campaign to safeguard Arthur Rank Hospice.

Ministers meet and engage regularly with integrated care boards (ICBs) to discuss local issues.Representatives of NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB meet Arthur Rank Hospice on a regular basis relating to the services it commissions from the organisation. The ICB and Arthur Rank Hospice work collaboratively to ensure that commissioned services meet contractual expectations and on continuous improvement of services for palliative care and end of life care patients. The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1087 I gave to the House on 24 November 2025.

What recent steps he has taken to help improve access to NHS dentistry in South Cambridgeshire constituency.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For South Cambridgeshire constituency, this is Cambridgeshire & Peterborough ICB.We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments. ICBs have been making extra appointments available from 1 April 2025. Cambridgeshire & Peterborough ICB is expected to deliver 14,195 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.ICBs are recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years. As of 22 September 2025, in England there were 97 dentists in post with a further eight dentists who have been recruited but are yet to start in post under this scheme. A further 224 posts are currently being advertised.We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. The Government is committed to achieving fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.We recently held a full public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and the quality of NHS dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation closed on 19 August 2025. The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.

What steps he plans to take to increase awareness of aerobic vaginitis.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future.Professional bodies, including the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, are considering how to raise awareness and make more information available about aerobic vaginitis.Additionally, we have supported the system to improve access to more specialised and multidisciplinary teams in the community through the introduction of women’s health hubs. Women’s health hubs provide better integrated care for women with a range of different conditions.

What steps he plans to take to help increase awareness of irritable bowel syndrome.

We recognise the significant impact that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can have on a person’s quality of life. We want a society where every person, including those with one or more long-term conditions, receives high-quality, compassionate continuity of care.To support early diagnosis and effective management of IBS, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced guidance, which is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg61To raise awareness of IBS among general practitioners and other primary care staff, the Royal College of General Practitioners has produced an e-learning module on the IBS pathway. The course covers the investigation of patients who present with lower gastrointestinal symptoms that are likely to be IBS, the red flags to look out for, how to make a confident diagnosis in primary care, and how to manage patients in line with NICE guidance.

What steps he is taking to help reduce the number of patients having to be treated in (a) corridors, (b) converted office spaces, (c) gyms and (d) other spaces this winter.

We are doing everything we can as fast as we can to tackle and eliminate corridor care. The Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so patients can be treated with dignity. Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out the steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care. We have been taking key steps to ensure that the health service is prepared for the colder months. This includes taking actions to try to reduce the demand pressure on accident and emergency departments, increase vaccination rates, and offer health checks to the most vulnerable, as well as stress-testing integrated care board and trust winter plans to confirm they are able to meet demand and support patient flow.

Whether his Department plans to respond to the consultation entitled Updating labelling guidance for no and low-alcohol alternatives, published on 28 September 2023.

In our 10-Year Health Plan, the Government committed to exploring whether to raise the upper alcohol limit for drinks labelled as alcohol-free to 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) from 0.05% ABV, as set out in the current labelling guidance for no and low (NoLo) alcohol drink alternatives. Our 10-Year Health Plan also included a commitment to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages. My officials are progressing work to take forward these commitments and we will update stakeholders in due course. The timelines for delivery are yet to be determined. Alongside the plan, a large, multi-year National Institute for Health and Care Research study is underway to examine the public health impacts of NoLo products, and we look forward to the findings of the study being available in the coming year.

What discussions he has had with private sector health providers on the implementation of the NHS 10 Year Plan.

The 10 Year Health Plan for England sets out a transformed vision for planned care by 2035, where the majority of interactions no longer take place in a hospital building, instead happening virtually, online or via neighbourhood services. Planned care will be more efficient, timely and effective and will put control in the hands of patients.The plan builds on the Elective Reform Plan and Independent Sector Partnership Agreement, published in January, setting a clear commitment to using spare capacity in independent sector providers to treat National Health Service patients, driving choice and empowerment for more patients, and entering discussions to expand NHS provision in the most disadvantaged areas to tackle health inequalities. The Government is steadfast in its commitment to the guiding principle that the NHS will always be free at the point of use, however it would be a dereliction of duty not to use every available resource to get patients the care they need.We have already started working with the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, the representative body for independent sector healthcare providers with over 100 members, to ensure independent healthcare providers can fully support the Government’s objectives to both bring down the electives waiting list, and to return the NHS to the constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the availability of space in (a) surgeries and (b) community buildings on the implementation of the NHS 10 Year Plan.

Over the course of the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government has committed to deliver a Neighbourhood Health Centre (NHC) in every community. The Department of Health and Social Care is currently determining how best to trial NHCs, including identifying potential site locations.Wherever possible, we will maximise value for money by repurposing poorly used, existing NHS and public sector estate. To support this, we have requested initial information from systems on local assets they already have.As strategic commissioners, integrated care boards will be key in identifying where NHCs are required, where more efficient and effective use could be made of existing assets, and defining their requirements for an NHC in the context of other supporting infrastructure in the local area.The £102 million Primary Care Utilisation & Modernisation Fund will upgrade more than a thousand GP surgeries across England. Improving use of existing buildings and spaces will enable improved productivity and projects will focus on works that unlock additional clinical space and make better use of existing buildings. They will include much-needed conversion, refurbishment and reconfiguration schemes.