Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle health inequalities impacting women.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain, to ensure people can live well for longer. Our reimagined National Health Service will tackle inequalities in both access and outcomes, as well as give everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, the means to engage with the National Health Service on their own terms. This financial year the Department has invested approximately £53 million in direct research awards on research to support the health of women. This includes conditions that are unique to women, such as endometriosis, and health topics that are relevant to women such as violence and abuse.

Significant progress has been made towards delivering the ambitions in the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy, for example improving women and girls’ awareness and access to services and driving research to benefit women’s health, but we know there is more to do.

That is why we are renewing the Women’s Health Strategy, to assess the progress that has been made so far and to continue progressing delivery.

The renewed strategy will update on the delivery of the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy and set out how the Government is taking further steps to improve women’s health as we deliver the 10-Year Health Plan. It will also address gaps from the 2022 strategy and drive further change on enduring challenges such as creating a system that listens to women and tackling health inequalities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase access to women's health hubs.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is encouraging integrated care boards (ICBs) to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and supporting them to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.

The 10-Year Health Plan set out our ambition for high autonomy to be the norm across every part of the country. ICBs are responsible for commissioning services that meet the healthcare needs of their local population and have the freedom to do so, and this includes women's health hubs and delivering the direction of the Women's Health Strategy. The Government is backing ICBs to do this through record funding. The 2025 Spending Review prioritised health, with record investment in the health and social care system.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the recruitment and retention of staff in women’s health services.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.

To support this ambition, the Government plans to introduce a new set of standards for modern employment in April 2026. The new standards will reaffirm our commitment to improving retention by tackling the issues that matter to staff including promoting flexible working, improving staff health and wellbeing, and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace. They will provide a framework for leaders across the NHS to build a supportive culture that embeds retention.

Found: at 10.00am Tuesday 1 April 2025 Members present Nick Smith, in the Chair Bob Blackman Bambos Charalambous

Found: membership Cat Smith (Labour; Lancaster and Wyre) (Chair) James Asser (Labour; West Ham and Beckton) Bambos Charalambous

Found: Questions 1-21 Representations made I: David Mundell II: Gregory Stafford III: Helen Hayes IV: Bambos Charalambous

Found: membership Cat Smith (Labour; Lancaster and Wyre) (Chair) James Asser (Labour; West Ham and Beckton) Bambos Charalambous

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Cat Smith (Chair); James Asser; Bambos Charalambous; Sir Christopher

Found: The debate is led by Bambos Charalambous MP.

Found: Authority [West Grove Primary School N14 4LR Enfield, Greater London Southgate and Wood Green; Bambos Charalambous

Found: Authority [West Grove Primary School N14 4LR Enfield, Greater London Southgate and Wood Green; Bambos Charalambous