Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how will his Department ensure Integrated Care Boards are held accountable for homelessness health outcomes, including hospital discharge into safe accommodation and access to primary care.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
People experiencing homelessness are considered as an inclusion health group. Inclusion health groups are a key cohort within the locally identified priority ‘PLUS’ populations in NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 framework, in accordance with which, integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for reducing inequalities in health outcomes and improving equitable access to healthcare treatments and services. Further information on NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 framework is avaiable at the following link:
NHS England also published A national framework for NHS – action on inclusion health, which supports ICBs to plan, develop, and improve health services to meet the needs of people in inclusion health groups. This framework is avaiable at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/a-national-framework-for-nhs-action-on-inclusion-health/
Additionally, NICE guideline 214 on Integrated health and social care for people experiencing homelessness supports ICBs to improve homelessness health outcomes, and we continue to explore ways to encourage ICBs to adopt and embed this advice in their commissioning processes. Further information on this advice is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng214
In December 2025, the Government published the National Plan to End Homelessness and Rough Sleeping which commits to ensuring no one eligible for homelessness assistance is discharged to the street after a hospital stay, and which is avaiable at the following link:
The Government will work with the National Health Service and local authorities to improve the implementation of the 2024 guidance Discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, and the effective use of existing funding streams to support intermediate care services tailored to the needs of people experiencing homelessness. The guidance Discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness is avaiable at the following link:
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will his Department bring forward a dedicated homelessness health strategy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s commitments to improving health outcomes and access to healthcare services for people experiencing homelessness are set out in the cross-Government strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness, published in December 2025, available at the following link:
We are committed to its ambition that no one should leave a public institution into homelessness. In health, this means ensuring that no one eligible for homelessness assistance is discharged to the street after a hospital stay by embedding best practice across National Health Service and local systems and working jointly with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on a delivery plan. We are also committing to wider measures in the strategy to tackle health inequalities, including improving access to mental health and substance misuse services, and updating statutory guidance to strengthen safeguarding responsibilities for people experiencing homelessness.
For this reason, we currently do not have plans to introduce a dedicated homelessness health strategy.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will review the Mental Health Act 1983 to ensure people with co-occurring mental health and substance misuse needs are not excluded from treatment.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Mental Health Act 2025 will give patients greater choice, enhanced rights and support, and ensure everyone is treated with dignity and respect throughout treatment.
We know that people with co-occurring substance use and mental health needs do not always receive the integrated, person-centred care they require and deserve. We are committed to promoting more cohesion between mental health services and substance use services, to ensure people, included those subject to the Mental Health Act, no longer fall through the gaps of treatment. The Department and NHS England have published the Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Delivery framework, which provides national commitments and calls to the sector on how the health system can improve delivery of integrated, person-centred care across drug and alcohol treatment and mental health services.
In developing this plan, we have worked with subject matter experts, including people with lived experience, academics, clinicians, and service providers, to set out a path to improving service provision for those with co-occurring substance use and mental health needs. This standard provides guidance for drug and alcohol treatment commissioners on improving services for people with co-occurring mental health and alcohol or drug conditions and how local services need to work together so that people can access the help they need.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether grassroots football organisations are eligible for public health funding.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Grassroots football organisations can be eligible for local public health funding at the discretion of local authorities, and where the main and primary purpose of spend is on public health.
Core funding for local authorities’ public health responsibilities is funded through the Public Health Grant. This funds a range of health improvement services, such as physical activity and weight management services, and where appropriate, could include funding community organisations that provide grassroots football. Local authorities are responsible for deciding how best to allocate their funding, including their Public Health Grant, to improve the health of their population and fulfil their public health responsibilities.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how to build movement back into everyday life and includes £400 million of Government investment into new and upgraded grassroots sports facilities that promote health, wellbeing, and community cohesion.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of demand for NHS maternity services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England monitor trends in demand for maternity services using a number of different data sources. Demand is primarily driven by the number of women giving birth, as well as the type and complexity of the care that they and their babies need. The number of births in England has been trending downwards for over a decade, with there being 545,149 deliveries in National Health Service hospitals in 2023/24, 19% lower than the peak of 671,255 in 2012/13. While the number of women giving birth has decreased in recent years, an increasing proportion of women are giving birth for the first time, have pre-existing health conditions, or are developing pregnancy-related complications.
The Office for National Statistics predicts that births in England will increase to approximately 590,000 births per year by 2030, based on 2022-based population projections. This, and increases in the average number of admissions and appointments for each woman who gave birth in recent years, could indicate that demand on maternity services is expected to rise.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the labour supply of trained midwives.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made but later this year we will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition, enhancing conditions for all NHS staff.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of employed midwives required a work visa in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold the information requested.
However, data published by the Home Office on grants of Health and Social Care Worker visas to midwives shows 606 grants in total during 2023 but a significant reduction in recent quarters. Only 18 grants were issued in the latest data for the three months to June 2025.
Data up to March 2024 can be found in the spreadsheet ‘Sponsored work entry clearance visas by occupation and industry (SOC 2010), year ending March 2024’, available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables.
Data for the last three quarters can be found in the following spreadsheet ‘Sponsored work entry clearance visas by occupation and industry (SOC 2020), year ending June 2025’, available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables.
Not all of those with Health and Social Care visas will be sponsored by NHS providers in England.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the retention rate amongst NHS midwives.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals, including midwives.
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.
NHS England is already leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
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 staff retention in NHS midwifery services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals, including midwives.
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.
NHS England is already leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.