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 he has considered the potential merits of ensuring a job in the NHS for midwifery graduates.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 11 August 2025, the Government announced the Graduate Guarantee for nurses and midwives. The guarantee will ensure that there are enough positions for every newly qualified midwife in England. The package of measures will unlock thousands of jobs, ensuring thousands of new posts are easier to access by removing barriers for National Health Service trusts, creating opportunities for graduates and enabling a seamless transition from training to employment.
Vacant maternity support worker posts will be temporarily converted to Band 5 midwifery roles, backed by £8 million to create new opportunities specifically for newly qualified midwives and to further ease the recruitment strain.
These new measures aim to tackle graduates’ concerns about job availability and ensure the NHS has the right staff to provide the best possible care to patients everywhere.
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, when next year he expects Baroness Casey of Blackstock DBE CB to report on the first phase of her independent commission into adult social care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent commission, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, has begun its work on how to build a social care system fit for the future, and will first report in 2026.
The commission is independent, and Baroness Casey therefore has the autonomy to decide when in 2026 she reports on the first phase. Work implementing the commission’s recommendations will then be able to begin following publication.
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 his Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of care home fees on self-funding residents.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The majority of care homes are in the independent sector and are free to set their fees as they see fit. The Department does not have the powers to set or recommend the level of fees that a private care home can charge, as this is a commercial decision for a care provider. However, all businesses are required to comply with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 by ensuring that they use fair and clear terms in their standard agreements with customers.
We have launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission will deliver recommendations for the transformation of adult social care, including how to best create a fair and affordable adult social care system.
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 help reduce the impact of care costs for self funding care home residents.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The majority of care homes are in the independent sector and are free to set their fees as they see fit. The Department does not have the powers to set or recommend the level of fees that a private care home can charge, as this is a commercial decision for a care provider. However, all businesses are required to comply with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 by ensuring that they use fair and clear terms in their standard agreements with customers.
We have launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission will deliver recommendations for the transformation of adult social care, including how to best create a fair and affordable adult social care system.
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 his Department is taking to support research into the health needs of trans young people.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In line with the findings of the recent Cass Review, the Government is committed to supporting the development of research that delivers a robust, evidence-based understanding of gender dysphoria and transgender issues, especially where these issues relate to children and young people. The programme of research includes investments in research capacity to enable National Health Service clinicians to dedicate time to research and ongoing service evaluation, and a living systematic review that will provide a regularly updated review of the latest international evidence to inform policy and frontline and clinical practice. These may produce new evidence to help safeguard and improve the health of children and young people who are questioning their gender identity or experiencing gender dysphoria.
The Department, through the National Institute for Health Research, welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including research into the health needs of young people. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.
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 increase the availability of mental health services in (a) Bournemouth and (b) Dorset.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board is responsible for commissioning National Health Service mental health services to meet the needs of its local populations in Bournemouth and Dorset.
At national level, we will fulfil our commitments to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers by the end of the Parliament to help cut waiting times and to expand mental health support teams to cover all schools in England by 2029/30. We will also expand NHS Talking Therapies and individual placement and support schemes, so more people can access the support they need.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country. We are transforming mental health services into 24 hours a day, seven days a week neighbourhood mental health centres, improving assertive outreach and increasing access to evidence based digital interventions. People will get better access to mental health support and advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week directly through the NHS App, including through self-referral for talking therapies, without needing a general practice appointment.
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 his Department is taking to help tackle mental health barriers to employment in Bournemouth.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care is committed to cutting mental health waiting lists and intervening earlier with more timely mental health support, to help people stay in work or return to work to grow the economy and support people to thrive.
Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies services bring together employment advice and support within local services, including those available to people in Bournemouth. Therapists and employment advisors support people with common mental health conditions who are in work but who are struggling or facing difficulties in the workplace, off work sick, or who are looking for work.
In addition, the Department for Work and Pensions has announced a £1 billion employment support package to support more people with health conditions, including mental ill health, back into work, unlocking opportunity and growing the economy as part of the Plan for Change.
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 residents' mental health in coastal communities.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that too many people living and working in coastal communities are not receiving the mental health care and support they need.
The 10-Year Health Plan for England sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country so that the right people get the right support, at the right time. We will invest up to £120 million to bring the number of mental health emergency departments to approximately 85. People will get better access to mental health support and advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week directly through the NHS App, including self-referral for talking therapies, without needing a general practice appointment. In addition, the Government is committed to working beyond the health system to create an environment that promotes good mental health, prevents people from developing mental health problems, and improves the lives of people living with a mental health problem.
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 mental health outcomes in coastal communities.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that too many people living and working in coastal communities are not receiving the mental health care and support they need.
The 10-Year Health Plan for England sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country so that the right people get the right support, at the right time. We will invest up to £120 million to bring the number of mental health emergency departments to approximately 85. People will get better access to mental health support and advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week directly through the NHS App, including self-referral for talking therapies, without needing a general practice appointment. In addition, the Government is committed to working beyond the health system to create an environment that promotes good mental health, prevents people from developing mental health problems, and improves the lives of people living with a mental health problem.
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 potential impact of the implementation of the Cass Review on trans people under the age of 18.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to implementing the Cass Review in full to ensure that children and young people get the safe and holistic care they need.
NHS England closed the Gender Identity Development Service on 31 March 2024 and opened new, regional southern and northern services on 1 April 2024, operating under a new delivery model headed up by a multi-disciplinary team. A third clinic opened in Bristol on 4 November 2024. These services have started taking patients off the national waiting list. NHS England has committed to a further three services by 2026.