Every parliamentary written question tabled by Tony Vaughan this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 22 · Department of Health and Social Care
What assessment he has made of the potential impact on patients and NHS waiting lists of surgical operations being cancelled due to contaminated or defective sterile surgical instrument components; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure inspection protocols are in place to prevent theatre lists being assembled before defects in outsourced surgical parts are identified.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of people purchasing medicines from overseas online pharmacies on patient safety.
In August 2025, the Department launched a United Kingdom-wide Call for Evidence (CfE) considering whether the existing regulation and monitoring of private, non-National Health Service prescribing remains fit for purpose, and to ensure that patients can continue to safely access high-quality medicines through all legal routes in the UK. Further information on the CfE is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/private-non-nhs-prescribing/private-non-nhs-prescribing-call-for-evidence-document#annex-b-regulatorsThe Department sought views on how it could continue to ensure that the medicines people need are available conveniently and promptly, whilst maintaining the UK's high standards of medicine regulation, prescribing, and use. The CfE gave the public, healthcare professionals and providers, and other interested parties the opportunity to share their views on private prescribing, including prescribing from European Economic Area based practitioners.The CfE ran from 12 August to 4 November 2025. A total of 458 responses were received: 68 on behalf of an organisation; 168 as a healthcare professional responding in a personal capacity; and 222 from members of the public. The types of organisations who responded to the CfE included pharmaceutical companies, professional bodies and regulators, pharmacy organisations, advocacy groups, and healthcare providers. Healthcare professionals who responded were largely from pharmacy, general practice, and nursing. Officials are analysing results to inform next steps. A Government response will be published in due course.
What steps the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is taking to regulate the practice of overseas online prescribers supplying medicines to UK residents.
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
What guidance the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency provides on purchasing prescription-only medicines from overseas online providers for personal use.
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing BREAKWATER for cancer patients.
Awaiting answer.
Whether he has made an assessment of the merits of ending the NHS' Federated Data Platform contract with Palantir.
The current contract for the NHS Federated Data Platform is for seven years, ending in 2031, with the initial term ending March 2027. Advice is given regularly on the contract and performance, and ministers have been given advice on the need for a decision this year on the extension of the contract in line with standard contract management processes. We continuously assess performance against the contract, and performance of the programme as a whole, and publish data on uptake and benefits each quarter.
What steps he is taking to increase support for the delivery of emergency care at the William Harvey Hospital.
The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years and is committed to restoring accident and emergency waiting times to the National Health Service constitutional standard across England to support the delivery of emergency care, including at the William Harvey Hospital.East Kent Trust, which the William Harvey hospital is part of, is receiving focused support as part of the National urgent and emergency care tiering programme, designed to support the most challenged trusts with urgent and emergency care.
How much the NHS spent on sending letters to patients in the 2023-24 financial year.
Data on National Health Service total spend sending letters to patients in the 2023/24 financial year in England is not held centrally, and will be held locally by individual trusts.
With reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department of 22 January 2025, Official Report, column 414WH, how many displaced international care workers whose sponsor’s licence had not been revoked have been supported by regional partnerships since they were established.
In 2024/25, £16 million has been made available through the adult social care international recruitment fund for 15 regional and sub-regional partnerships to prevent and respond to exploitative practices of internationally recruited care staff. Between July 2024 and February 2025, approximately 8,800 people have contacted the regional partnerships for support. To date, approximately 550 of these individuals have been supported into new employment, according to self-reported data provided by the regional partnerships. This data has not been independently verified by the Department or UK Visas and Immigration. We do not hold data on the number of care workers supported into new employment whose sponsor has not had their licence revoked. A primary aim of the 2024/25 fund is to facilitate in-country matching of overseas recruits who have been displaced by unethical practices or by their employer’s sponsorship licence being revoked. However, in some instances, regions are also providing support to care workers not impacted by sponsor licence revocation. To support regional partnerships, we have published guidance on implementing the aims of the fund, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-recruitment-fund-for-the-adult-social-care-sector-2024-to-2025/international-recruitment-fund-for-the-adult-social-care-sector-2024-to-2025-guidance-for-local-authoritiesWe have commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce to undertake an independent evaluation of the 2024/25 international recruitment regional fund. We expect the final report of this evaluation to be published by King's College London in 2026.
What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regional partnerships financed by the international recruitment fund for the adult social care sector; whether he plans to publish an evaluation of the project.
In 2024/25, £16 million has been made available through the adult social care international recruitment fund for 15 regional and sub-regional partnerships to prevent and respond to exploitative practices of internationally recruited care staff. Between July 2024 and February 2025, approximately 8,800 people have contacted the regional partnerships for support. To date, approximately 550 of these individuals have been supported into new employment, according to self-reported data provided by the regional partnerships. This data has not been independently verified by the Department or UK Visas and Immigration. We do not hold data on the number of care workers supported into new employment whose sponsor has not had their licence revoked. A primary aim of the 2024/25 fund is to facilitate in-country matching of overseas recruits who have been displaced by unethical practices or by their employer’s sponsorship licence being revoked. However, in some instances, regions are also providing support to care workers not impacted by sponsor licence revocation. To support regional partnerships, we have published guidance on implementing the aims of the fund, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-recruitment-fund-for-the-adult-social-care-sector-2024-to-2025/international-recruitment-fund-for-the-adult-social-care-sector-2024-to-2025-guidance-for-local-authoritiesWe have commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce to undertake an independent evaluation of the 2024/25 international recruitment regional fund. We expect the final report of this evaluation to be published by King's College London in 2026.
With reference to the oral contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department on 22 January 2025, Official Report, column 414WH, what guidance his Department has provided to regional partnerships for supporting international care workers on ensuring they offer assistance to all care workers.
In 2024/25, £16 million has been made available through the adult social care international recruitment fund for 15 regional and sub-regional partnerships to prevent and respond to exploitative practices of internationally recruited care staff. Between July 2024 and February 2025, approximately 8,800 people have contacted the regional partnerships for support. To date, approximately 550 of these individuals have been supported into new employment, according to self-reported data provided by the regional partnerships. This data has not been independently verified by the Department or UK Visas and Immigration. We do not hold data on the number of care workers supported into new employment whose sponsor has not had their licence revoked. A primary aim of the 2024/25 fund is to facilitate in-country matching of overseas recruits who have been displaced by unethical practices or by their employer’s sponsorship licence being revoked. However, in some instances, regions are also providing support to care workers not impacted by sponsor licence revocation. To support regional partnerships, we have published guidance on implementing the aims of the fund, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-recruitment-fund-for-the-adult-social-care-sector-2024-to-2025/international-recruitment-fund-for-the-adult-social-care-sector-2024-to-2025-guidance-for-local-authoritiesWe have commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce to undertake an independent evaluation of the 2024/25 international recruitment regional fund. We expect the final report of this evaluation to be published by King's College London in 2026.
How many international social care workers have (a) had contact with the regional partnerships financed by the international recruitment fund for the adult social care sector and (b) been assisted into new employment by those partnerships.
In 2024/25, £16 million has been made available through the adult social care international recruitment fund for 15 regional and sub-regional partnerships to prevent and respond to exploitative practices of internationally recruited care staff. Between July 2024 and February 2025, approximately 8,800 people have contacted the regional partnerships for support. To date, approximately 550 of these individuals have been supported into new employment, according to self-reported data provided by the regional partnerships. This data has not been independently verified by the Department or UK Visas and Immigration. We do not hold data on the number of care workers supported into new employment whose sponsor has not had their licence revoked. A primary aim of the 2024/25 fund is to facilitate in-country matching of overseas recruits who have been displaced by unethical practices or by their employer’s sponsorship licence being revoked. However, in some instances, regions are also providing support to care workers not impacted by sponsor licence revocation. To support regional partnerships, we have published guidance on implementing the aims of the fund, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-recruitment-fund-for-the-adult-social-care-sector-2024-to-2025/international-recruitment-fund-for-the-adult-social-care-sector-2024-to-2025-guidance-for-local-authoritiesWe have commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce to undertake an independent evaluation of the 2024/25 international recruitment regional fund. We expect the final report of this evaluation to be published by King's College London in 2026.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure that disability related expenditure assessments are being undertaken by local authorities.
Where local authorities decide to charge for the provision of care and support, they must follow the Care and Support Statutory Guidance, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-statutory-guidance/care-and-support-statutory-guidance#Chapter8This guidance sets out that, where disability-related benefits are taken into account during a financial assessment, the local authority should make an assessment and allow the person to keep enough of their benefit payments to pay for necessary disability-related expenditure, to meet any needs which are not being met by the local authority.
What steps his Department is taking to tackle the challenges that rural communities face in accessing NHS services.
The Government recognises the particular challenges that communities in rural areas can face in accessing healthcare services. We are committed to returning National Health Service performance to the access standards as set out in the NHS Constitution.The forthcoming 10 Year Plan will set out the reforms needed to ensure the NHS is put on a sustainable footing so it can tackle the problems of today and the future. The plan will focus on ensuring three big reform shifts in the way our health services deliver care: moving from hospitals to communities; making better use of technology; and focusing on preventing sickness, not just treating it.
What proportion of the additional NHS capital investment announced in the Autumn Budget 2024 will be allocated to establishing (a) mobile diagnostic hubs and (b) new health centres.
£1.65 billion of additional capital funding has been allocated in the budget for 2025/26 to support National Health Service performance across secondary and emergency care. This investment includes funding for new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners to build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures and over 1.25 million diagnostic tests as they come online; new beds across the estate to create more treatment space in emergency departments, reduce waiting times, and help shift more care into the community; and £70 million to invest in new radiotherapy machines to improve cancer treatment.As detailed in the 2025/26 capital guidance, published on 30 January 2025, NHS England has also provided systems with their operational capital envelopes. These allocations are managed locally, with systems prioritising investments in line with their clinical and operational needs. As part of the £1.65 billion of funding, some targeted national programme funding is also available for strategic priorities such as the expansion of community diagnostic centres and the improvement of cancer treatment capacity.The Department is working with NHS England to finalise the composition of investment across individual schemes that will best support NHS performance, including the completion of business cases. To support this, NHS England is working with local NHS systems to identify the most appropriate locations for investment. Further information will be shared shortly.Future capital investment beyond 2025/26 will be considered as part of the next Spending Review.
What discussions his Department has had with the British Dental Association and other representatives on reform of the NHS Dental Contract.
Ministers meet regularly with external stakeholders on a variety of topics, including but not limited to dentistry. Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.We are continuing to meet the British Dental Association and other representatives of the dental sector to discuss how we can best deliver our shared ambition to improve access for National Health Service dental patients.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.
What steps his Department is taking to reform the NHS Dental Contract.
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 National Health Service dentists.There are no perfect payment systems and careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system so that we deliver a system better for patients and the profession.We are continuing to meet the British Dental Association and other representatives of the dental sector to discuss how we can best deliver our shared ambition to improve access for NHS dental patients.
What proportion of the emergency dental appointments to be purchased by Kent & Medway ICB will be provided to dental clinics in Folkestone and Hythe constituency.
Data is not held on what proportion of the emergency dental appointments will be provided at constituency level. Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board, which includes Folkestone and Hythe constituency, is expected to deliver 20,319 additional urgent dental appointments. The urgent appointments will be available to National Health Service patients experiencing painful oral health issues, such as infections, abscesses, or cracked or broken teeth. Patients can contact their usual dental practice or call NHS 111 if they don’t have a regular dentist or need help out-of-hours.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of no longer recognising EAA dental certificates on the number of dentists in the UK.
Current arrangements under the provisions in the EU Exit Regulations, known as the ‘standstill’ provisions, ensure that United Kingdom healthcare regulators, including the General Dental Council (GDC), who register domestic and international dentists, continue to automatically recognise relevant European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss healthcare qualifications. In addition, qualifications from countries in the European Free Trade Association and Switzerland are recognised under trade agreements made with those nations. This means dentists with recognised qualifications from EEA countries and Switzerland can continue to practise in the United Kingdom without the need to sit additional professional exams or undergo further assessment by the GDC.
What steps his Department is taking to improve the accessibility of health centres in (a) rural and (b) remote areas.
In line with the Government’s Health Mission, our goal is to create a more equitable healthcare system that leaves no person or community behind. The Government recognises the health inequalities faced by rural communities in England, particularly around access to healthcare services. In response, we are working closely across the Department, with NHS England, and the regional Directors of Public Health to develop approaches that address these inequalities.The Department supports statutory integrated care systems (ICSs) in delivering National Health Services across England. ICSs are partnerships of organisations which come together to plan and deliver joined up health and care services, and this includes considering adequate healthcare provision for populations in rural and remote areas.