Blake Stephenson MP: written questions
665 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Resident Doctors: StrikesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79838More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the causes of the resident doctor strikes in 2025.
Answer: On 9 April, The British Medical Association resident doctors committee (BMA RDC) entered into dispute in relation to the timing of the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration report and subsequently ran a statutory ballot, which closed on 8 Jul...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral PractitionersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79837More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Millions more appointments as more than 2,000 extra GPs recruited, published on 24 July 2025, what proportion of additional GP appointments
Answer: Eight million more general practitioner (GP) appointments have been delivered this year compared to last.The General Practice Appointments Data (GPAD) does not enable us to attribute delivered appointments to individual GPs. As a result, it is not possibl...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: BedfordshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79836More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Millions more appointments as more than 2,000 extra GPs recruited, published on 24 July 2025, how many of those GPs are working in Bedfords
Answer: As of 31 August 2025, 48 newly qualified GPs have been recruited through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme since October 2024 in NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board.
Answered 16 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHospices: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79835More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled £75 million boost for hospices to transform end-of-life care, published on 20 July 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the revenue i
Answer: Hospices do incredible work by supporting people and families when they need it most, and we recognise the incredibly tough pressures they are facing.Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commiss...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordCare Workers: Migrant WorkersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79834More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 August 2025 to Question 62005 on Care Workers: Migrant Workers, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on visa status and ongoing emplo
Answer: Home Office immigration statistics show the numbers of Health and Care Worker visas granted under this category for the ‘Caring Personal Services’ occupation group (613), which broadly covers occupations across social care, over time, and for the specific...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral PractitionersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79833More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many face-to-face GP appointments were there in each of the past three years.
Answer: In the past three years, the number of face-to-face GP appointments were as follows:12 months to August 2023: 100.1 million appointments12 months to August 2024: 101.2 million appointments12 months to August 2025: 99 million appointmentsThese appointments...
Answered 16 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral PractitionersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79832More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of face-to-face GP appointments in 2025/26.
Answer: This Government has committed to guarantee a face-to-face appointment for all those who want one. The National Health Service is clear that general practices must provide face-to-face appointments, alongside remote consultations, and patients’ input into ...
Answered 10 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79831More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 139 of his Department's 10 Year Health Plan, published on 3 July 2025, whether bridging loan capabilities will be permitted in order to allow the provision of new GP surgerie
Answer: The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to determine how developer contributions from new housing developments can be better used towards local health services and i...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMedical Records: GenomicsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79830More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of being able to view the risk of major conditions on people with poor mental health.
Answer: The 10-Year Health Plan includes a commitment to begin implementing integrated risk scores that bring together polygenic risk scores (PRS) and other non-biological risk factors. NHS England, in partnership with Our Future Health and clinical experts, will...
Answered 23 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMedical Records: GenomicsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79829More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 73 of his Department's 10 Year Health Plan, published on 3 July 2025, whether patients will be able to opt out of viewing their risk of major conditions.
Answer: The National Health Service’s 10-Year Health Plan included a commitment that the NHS will develop a Unified Genomic Record, integrating genomic data with relevant clinical and diagnostic data. This will be linked to the NHS Single Patient Record. Patients...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic HealthDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79828More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10-Year Health Plan, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government about the role of placemaking in improving public h
Answer: Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government meet periodically to discuss shared priorities and links to health.The Government’s initial response to the report of the independent New...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordDiagnosis: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79827More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10-Year Health Plan, what assessment he has made of public trust in AI for use in AI diagnosis tools.
Answer: The 10-Year Health Plan and the Life Sciences Sector Plan commit the Government to making the National Health Service become the healthcare system in the world most ready for artificial intelligence (AI). The Department is testing AI in areas that cause t...
Answered 23 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordGenomics: Data ProtectionDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79826More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10-Year Health Plan, what safeguards will be put in place to prevent hostile actors from accessing genomic data held by the NHS.
Answer: All organisations that have access to National Health Service patient data and systems must use the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) to provide assurance on an annual basis that they are practising good data security and that personal informati...
Answered 6 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordNeighbourhood Health CentresDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79825More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 36 of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan, published on 3 July 2025, how the cost of operating Neighbourhood Health Centres will be shared amongst (a) local government, (b) the volun
Answer: As set out on page 36 of the 10-Year Health Plan, neighbourhood health centres will provide easier, more convenient access to a full range of health and care services on people’s doorsteps, joining up National Health Service, local authority, and voluntar...
Answered 14 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordNeighbourhood Health CentresDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79824More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 15 of the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for
Answer: Our aim is to have a Neighbourhood Health Centre in each community that provides easier, more convenient access to a full range of health and care services on people’s doorsteps, bringing together National Health Service, local authority, and voluntary se...
Answered 29 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordCommunity Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79823More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 36 of the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, what his definition is of community, in this context.
Answer: The Government is committed to delivering a Neighbourhood Health Service that brings care closer to communities, ensuring that care happens as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a person’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when n...
Answered 27 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: Rural AreasDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79822More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of restoring the
Answer: The Government is committed to bringing back the family doctor for patients who would likely benefit from seeing the same clinician regularly. In doing so, we will improve continuity of care, which is associated with better health outcomes and fewer Accid...
Answered 16 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: BedfordshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79821More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of GPs per head of population in Bedfordshire by 2035, in the context of the 10 Year Health Plan.
Answer: Each general practice (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...
Answered 29 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMental Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79820More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing ongoing access to therapy for people with complex mental health needs.
Answer: We recognise the importance of providing ongoing access to therapy for people with complex mental health needs. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service and the three big shifts needed in the system – analogue to digi...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral PractitionersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79819More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how new GP surgeries will be set up under his 10 Year Health Plan.
Answer: Our aim of establishing a Neighbourhood Health Centre (NHC) in every community, open at least 12 hours a day and 6 days a week, and with services that are fully data and digitally enabled, will revitalise access to general practice.To establish NHCs, we w...
Answered 16 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: StaffDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79818More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost of non-healthcare professionals in his plans for the NHS; and how this compares to the current figure.
Answer: No specific assessment has been made of the future cost of non-healthcare professionals. The NHS England 2025/26 Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance though states that integrated care boards and providers should review their workforce and spendin...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79817More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set out how the role of multi-neighbourhood providers will differ from that of ICBs, in the context of the 10 Year Health Plan.
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) will act primarily as strategic commissioners of services to their local populations and will not be providing services directly to the public. They will be working to ensure the best possible care is delivered through commis...
Answered 17 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordDental ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79816More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to allow patients to access NHS dental care through the NHS App.
Answer: The Government currently has no plans to enable patients to access NHS dental care through the NHS App. However, NHS England routinely seeks opportunities to expand the functionality of the NHS App, and progress on including dental bookings in the functio...
Answered 25 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral PractitionersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79815More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of new neighbour
Answer: The ambition for our Neighbourhood Health Service is to rebalance our health and care system so that it fits around people’s lives, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach and giving people more power and choice over the care that they receive.Neigh...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Professions: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 79814More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of housing costs on the recruitment of health staff, in the context of his plans for a Neighbourhood Health Service.
Answer: We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While we will be clear on the outcomes we expect, we will give significant licence to tailor the approach to local need. While the fo...
Answered 16 Oct 2025
Original Parliament record
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