No assessment has been made.

Health Technical Memorandum 07-01: Safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste provides the principal National Health Service technical guidance, supported by the NHS Clinical Waste Strategy, statutory waste-duty-of-care requirements, and infection-prevention expectations.

Responsibility for the provision of clinical waste services rests with the practices and the local integrated care boards (ICBs), who will agree to the relevant contracts for its supply.

Providers are expected to comply with Regulation 15 Premises and equipment in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Premises where care and treatment are delivered must be clean, and suitable for the intended purpose. Adequate support facilities and amenities must be provided where relevant to the service being provided. For general practice (GP) premises this includes access to toilets, adequate seating, and waiting space. The Care Quality Commission can take regulatory action for failure to comply, for instance issuing a warning notice to the provider to make improvements.

In 2025/26 we committed to investing £102 million to upgrade GP surgeries across England, through the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund (PCUMF). This has supported 790 capital investment projects across England so far, upgrading GP buildings by bringing unused space into clinical use to enable approximately nine million clinical appointments and improving capacity. We will continue the PCUMF, providing £200 million of further investment this Parliament. Capital guidance for 2026/27 to 2029/30 has been issued by NHS England, which sets out the framework for multi-year spend, and which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/capital-guidance-2026-27-to-2029-30/

The Premises Costs Directions (PCDs) are regulations setting out how improvement of practice premises can be covered by premises improvement grants from the National Health Service, and how general practice (GP) contractors can apply for capital grants via the Utilisation and Modernisation Fund (UMF). UMF funding can support the improvement of practice premises’ lighting, ventilation, and heating installations, including the replacement of other forms of heating by central heating, except where improvements are designed solely to reduce the environmental impact of premises, such as the installation of solar energy systems or the replacement windows, doors, or facades, unless the contractor can satisfy NHS England, acting reasonably, that those improvements provide a net financial benefit to the health service.

The PCDs were reviewed and updated in 2024, with the revised directions allowing commissioners to make larger investments in GPs in a more flexible way and to seek to provide contractors with some reassurance about their premises liabilities.

In 2025/26 we committed to investing £102 million to upgrade GP surgeries across England, through the UMF. We are continuing this by providing £200 million over the next four years, in addition to up to £200 million to support 40 to 50 neighbourhood health centres this Parliament through the refurbishment of existing buildings.

The Premises Costs Directions (PCDs) are regulations setting out how improvement of practice premises can be covered by premises improvement grants from the National Health Service, and how general practice (GP) contractors can apply for capital grants via the Utilisation and Modernisation Fund (UMF). UMF funding can support the improvement of practice premises’ lighting, ventilation, and heating installations, including the replacement of other forms of heating by central heating, except where improvements are designed solely to reduce the environmental impact of premises, such as the installation of solar energy systems or the replacement windows, doors, or facades, unless the contractor can satisfy NHS England, acting reasonably, that those improvements provide a net financial benefit to the health service.

The PCDs were reviewed and updated in 2024, with the revised directions allowing commissioners to make larger investments in GPs in a more flexible way and to seek to provide contractors with some reassurance about their premises liabilities.

In 2025/26 we committed to investing £102 million to upgrade GP surgeries across England, through the UMF. We are continuing this by providing £200 million over the next four years, in addition to up to £200 million to support 40 to 50 neighbourhood health centres this Parliament through the refurbishment of existing buildings.

The Premises Costs Directions (PCDs) are regulations setting out how improvement of practice premises can be covered by premises improvement grants from the National Health Service, and how general practice (GP) contractors can apply for capital grants via the Utilisation and Modernisation Fund (UMF). UMF funding can support the improvement of practice premises’ lighting, ventilation, and heating installations, including the replacement of other forms of heating by central heating, except where improvements are designed solely to reduce the environmental impact of premises, such as the installation of solar energy systems or the replacement windows, doors, or facades, unless the contractor can satisfy NHS England, acting reasonably, that those improvements provide a net financial benefit to the health service.

The PCDs were reviewed and updated in 2024, with the revised directions allowing commissioners to make larger investments in GPs in a more flexible way and to seek to provide contractors with some reassurance about their premises liabilities.

In 2025/26 we committed to investing £102 million to upgrade GP surgeries across England, through the UMF. We are continuing this by providing £200 million over the next four years, in addition to up to £200 million to support 40 to 50 neighbourhood health centres this Parliament through the refurbishment of existing buildings.

I have discussed this issue with my hon. Friend and I know he feels very strongly about it. I would be delighted to meet him to follow up. It sounds as if some progress is being made, but we need to ensure we get this sorted.

Due to a long-running dispute with the building’s landlord, Billinge medical practice in my constituency has been given a deadline of September to vacate the premises. I have previously spoken to the Minister about this and I am grateful for the help he has given me so far, but the integrated care board has now decided to move the practice out of the village entirely, to Garswood. I am worried about the impact of that on patients for many reasons, not least the fact that the new location is not easily accessible by public transport. Does the Minister agree with me that places like Billinge deserve their own medical practice? Will he or his officials agree to meet me to discuss the way forward?

The Government has committed £426 million over the next four years through the Utilisation and Modernisation Fund. Up to half of this funding is being used to upgrade the existing local estate to deliver neighbourhood health centres, as part of the 10-Year Health Plan. Half is being utilised for general practice (GP) surgery upgrades continuing on the investment made in 2025/26.

Systems have submitted their capital plans for the current Spending Review period 2026 to 2030, including proposals for half of the Utilisation and Modernisation Fund to be invested in GP surgery upgrades. The assessment of proposals by local regions has been completed and individual schemes are now submitting detailed schedules of works for rapid approval so work can commence.

Funding for the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund was agreed through the Spending Review. As such, capital allocations are set for each financial year and do not automatically carry forward into subsequent years.

Underspends cannot automatically be carried forward into the next financial year, with any residual underspends managed in line with normal departmental financial processes. The Department works with NHS England and local systems to ensure that delivery in the National Health Service continues to be maximised within the capital allocation for each year, delivering benefits for patients and the public and ensuring value for money for the taxpayer is achieved. This can include reviewing the profile of schemes to be delivered or completed across financial years.

Where there is a need to reprofile or adjust available spend between financial years, this must be considered and agreed with HM Treasury through the Supplementary Estimates process.

The Government has committed a further £426 million of utilisation and modernisation funding over the next four years. Up to half of this funding is being used to upgrade the existing local estate to deliver neighbourhood health centres as part of the 10-Year Health Plan. Half is being utilised for general practice upgrades, continuing on the investment made in 2025/26.

We recognise that extreme heat can pose serious risks to health buildings and services.

All National Health Service organisations are required to have robust arrangements in place for adverse weather, supported by UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) guidance and national heatwave planning. NHS organisations monitor temperatures inside their buildings locally and will respond where needed, and are supported by clear technical standards and guidance including:

• the Health Technical Memorandum 03-01: Specialised ventilation for healthcare premises Part A (2021), which includes requirements for ventilation strategies, including heating and cooling, and which is available at the following link:
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/specialised-ventilation-for-healthcare-buildings/; and

• the Health Building Note 00-07: Planning for a resilient healthcare estate (2014), which includes references throughout to heat wave planning and climate resilience, and which is available at the following link:
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/resilience-planning-for-nhs-facilities-hbn-00-07/

We are backing the NHS trust estate with significant capital investment, including £6.75 billion over the next nine years to address the most critical infrastructure risks, including to ventilation and cooling systems. We are also embedding climate resilience in future NHS infrastructure. All Hospital 2.0 compliant schemes from 2025, and all new build neighbourhood health centres, are being designed to be climate resilient from the outset in line with leading building standards, including BREEAM Excellent certification for New Hospital Programme projects. We also continue to back the general practice estate through the £426 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund.

Adult social care services are provided through a largely outsourced market of commercial organisations and charities. The Care Act Statutory Guidance provides guidance on managing service interruptions and outlines local authorities’ roles and responsibilities, and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-statutory-guidance/care-and-support-statutory-guidance

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring good management of their local market. UKHSA guidance advises care homes to plan ahead, act early on Heat Health Alerts, and prioritise residents most at risk through enhanced monitoring, hydration, and environmental controls.

We are increasing general practice (GP) capacity and funding to improve access, outcomes, and patient satisfaction. This commitment will continue over the next five years. The Department has had no direct communication with the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board.

We are investing an additional £601 million in GPs in 2026/27, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to approximately £14 billion. This builds on the £1.1 billion increase in 2025/26, the largest uplift in over a decade. Since October 2024, £160 million has supported over 2,000 more GPs in primary care networks across England. Additionally, the 2026/27 contract also introduces a practice-level GP reimbursement scheme, backed by £292 million, to help practices recruit more GPs or expand sessions.

Tunbridge Wells sits within the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board. 9,000 more GP appointments were delivered in the 12 months to May 2026 compared to the year previous. Additionally, the 2025 General Practice Patient Survey found that 70% of patients rated their overall experience of their practice as “good” in 2025, an increase of 5% since 2023.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England and that includes assessing for the quality of GP premises. There are 14 GP services in the Tunbridge Wells constituency, all with an overall CQC rating of ‘good’.

Practices are supported to increase capacity through Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) reimbursement funding for primary care networks’ staff costs. As of April 2026, this can be claimed for any general practice (GP) doctor as well as for expanding multi-disciplinary teams, for example, pharmacists, paramedics, and care coordinators. In addition, implementation of the new practice-level GP reimbursement scheme supports practices to increase same-day access, including enabling the employment of additional GPs or extra sessional time. This supports patients being seen by the most appropriate clinician, improving flow and reducing pressure on GP appointments.

NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board is working with the General Practice Support Unit to deliver practice-level support across all practices, including, but not limited to, Yeovil. This includes Supportive Learning Framework conversations, organisational development and general resilience support. The programme supports implementation of the new GP contract and the transition to modern general practice models, including total triage.

NHS England has published resources on modern general practice and best practice for processing appointment requests, which are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/gp/national-general-practice-improvement-programme/resources/

We are interpreting this question to pertain to general practice (GP) rent reimbursement. Spending forecasts for notional rent reimbursements to GP contractors for each integrated care board area over the next five years are not held centrally.

GP partners, as independent contractors, occupy, as freeholders or leaseholders, suitable premises from which the partnership delivers GP services. GP contractors are entitled to financial assistance or reimbursement of premises costs, including notional or lease rent, business rates, water rates, and clinical waste disposal.

The Premises Costs Directions are directions to NHS England from my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in relation to reimbursements of certain costs, incurred by General Medical Services contractors, relating to their practice premises, principally notional rent or rent reimbursement, and some day-to-day running costs. They also provide a mechanism to fund and deliver premises improvements, in the form of grants from commissioners to build extensions and carry out renovations, subject to discretion and available budget.

As I said to the hon. Member for North Shropshire (Helen Morgan), we are looking at the way that section 106 and CIL are used. I certainly look forward to working with councils across the country, but as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has said, when people go to the ballot box on 7 May, they should think very carefully about how much more effective it is when councils work in partnership with this Labour Government.