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 tackle health inequalities in coastal communities.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Chief Medical Officer, in his 2023 Annual Report, made clear that future health and care needs will vary significantly, with the populations of rural, semi-rural, and coastal areas more likely to experience worse health outcomes.
In the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government commits to reducing the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest areas by tackling health inequalities and the social determinants of health.
The Department will address under performance in areas with the worst health outcomes, including coastal communities, where access is often poor. National Health Service regions are compiling action plans for each provider in these areas to begin improvements.
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 increase retention rates for domestically trained NHS (a) doctors and (b) other clinical staff.
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. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan this autumn setting out how we will ensure staff are better treated, have better training, more fulfilling roles, and have hope for the future, so they can achieve more.
We will work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals, support to work healthily and flexibly, and tackling violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the workplace.
We have made significant progress over the past year in improving the working lives of resident doctors. This includes agreeing to an improved exception reporting system which will ensure doctors are compensated fairly for the additional work that they do, and reviewing how resident doctors rotate through their training.
NHS England is leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts.
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 proposals to create a subsidiary company by NHS trusts in Dorset on (a) jobs and (b) existing terms and conditions.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Contract award decisions in the National Health Service fall directly to individual NHS bodies, who are responsible for running their own procurement exercises. Ministers at the Department do not have general powers in legislation to direct trusts in relation to the exercise of any of their functions, including in relation to specific contractual decisions. The NHS has established governance processes, in line with Government procurement policy and best practice, to ensure that appropriate contractual decisions are made that represent value for money.
The three NHS Dorset foundation trusts have undertaken two months of engagement concerning proposals to establish a wholly owned subsidiary company to deliver estates and facilities management services. Relevant papers concerning the proposal were placed in the public domain in June 2025 for board meetings held in that month. Under the proposals, the trusts have advised NHS England that there will be no job reductions, and that transferred staff will keep their pay and terms and conditions exactly aligned with the NHS. This covers both current and new staff. NHS England will review the level of assurance around the trust boards’ self-certification as to their readiness to proceed to the next formal consultation stage, which will involve staff and unions.
The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations allow for terms and conditions of service to be protected or frozen as they stand on the date of transfer to a new employer, like a wholly owned subsidiary. NHS trust wholly owned subsidiaries can apply for access to the NHS Pension Scheme for compulsorily transferring staff, and new starters.
The Government expects that any outsourced services are delivered by trusts in a way that improves quality, ensures greater stability and longer-term investment in the workforce, and delivers better value for money, as part of the broader commitments on procurement, as set out in the Make Work Pay programme, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/make-work-pay
NHS staff continue to work incredibly hard on delivering the best possible care for patients, and wherever they work across the health service, we expect the highest standards and good terms and conditions.
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 discussions he has had with (a) Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, (b) University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust and (c) Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust on their proposals to create a subsidiary company.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Contract award decisions in the National Health Service fall directly to individual NHS bodies, who are responsible for running their own procurement exercises. Ministers at the Department do not have general powers in legislation to direct trusts in relation to the exercise of any of their functions, including in relation to specific contractual decisions. The NHS has established governance processes, in line with Government procurement policy and best practice, to ensure that appropriate contractual decisions are made that represent value for money.
The three NHS Dorset foundation trusts have undertaken two months of engagement concerning proposals to establish a wholly owned subsidiary company to deliver estates and facilities management services. Relevant papers concerning the proposal were placed in the public domain in June 2025 for board meetings held in that month. Under the proposals, the trusts have advised NHS England that there will be no job reductions, and that transferred staff will keep their pay and terms and conditions exactly aligned with the NHS. This covers both current and new staff. NHS England will review the level of assurance around the trust boards’ self-certification as to their readiness to proceed to the next formal consultation stage, which will involve staff and unions.
The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations allow for terms and conditions of service to be protected or frozen as they stand on the date of transfer to a new employer, like a wholly owned subsidiary. NHS trust wholly owned subsidiaries can apply for access to the NHS Pension Scheme for compulsorily transferring staff, and new starters.
The Government expects that any outsourced services are delivered by trusts in a way that improves quality, ensures greater stability and longer-term investment in the workforce, and delivers better value for money, as part of the broader commitments on procurement, as set out in the Make Work Pay programme, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/make-work-pay
NHS staff continue to work incredibly hard on delivering the best possible care for patients, and wherever they work across the health service, we expect the highest standards and good terms and conditions.
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 is taking steps to retain (a) job numbers and (b) existing terms and conditions when NHS trusts create subsidiary companies.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Contract award decisions in the National Health Service fall directly to individual NHS bodies, who are responsible for running their own procurement exercises. Ministers at the Department do not have general powers in legislation to direct trusts in relation to the exercise of any of their functions, including in relation to specific contractual decisions. The NHS has established governance processes, in line with Government procurement policy and best practice, to ensure that appropriate contractual decisions are made that represent value for money.
The three NHS Dorset foundation trusts have undertaken two months of engagement concerning proposals to establish a wholly owned subsidiary company to deliver estates and facilities management services. Relevant papers concerning the proposal were placed in the public domain in June 2025 for board meetings held in that month. Under the proposals, the trusts have advised NHS England that there will be no job reductions, and that transferred staff will keep their pay and terms and conditions exactly aligned with the NHS. This covers both current and new staff. NHS England will review the level of assurance around the trust boards’ self-certification as to their readiness to proceed to the next formal consultation stage, which will involve staff and unions.
The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations allow for terms and conditions of service to be protected or frozen as they stand on the date of transfer to a new employer, like a wholly owned subsidiary. NHS trust wholly owned subsidiaries can apply for access to the NHS Pension Scheme for compulsorily transferring staff, and new starters.
The Government expects that any outsourced services are delivered by trusts in a way that improves quality, ensures greater stability and longer-term investment in the workforce, and delivers better value for money, as part of the broader commitments on procurement, as set out in the Make Work Pay programme, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/make-work-pay
NHS staff continue to work incredibly hard on delivering the best possible care for patients, and wherever they work across the health service, we expect the highest standards and good terms and conditions.
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 had discussions with UNISON in relation to proposals by NHS Trusts in Dorset to create a subsidiary company.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Contract award decisions in the National Health Service fall directly to individual NHS bodies, who are responsible for running their own procurement exercises. Ministers at the Department do not have general powers in legislation to direct trusts in relation to the exercise of any of their functions, including in relation to specific contractual decisions. The NHS has established governance processes, in line with Government procurement policy and best practice, to ensure that appropriate contractual decisions are made that represent value for money.
The three NHS Dorset foundation trusts have undertaken two months of engagement concerning proposals to establish a wholly owned subsidiary company to deliver estates and facilities management services. Relevant papers concerning the proposal were placed in the public domain in June 2025 for board meetings held in that month. Under the proposals, the trusts have advised NHS England that there will be no job reductions, and that transferred staff will keep their pay and terms and conditions exactly aligned with the NHS. This covers both current and new staff. NHS England will review the level of assurance around the trust boards’ self-certification as to their readiness to proceed to the next formal consultation stage, which will involve staff and unions.
The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations allow for terms and conditions of service to be protected or frozen as they stand on the date of transfer to a new employer, like a wholly owned subsidiary. NHS trust wholly owned subsidiaries can apply for access to the NHS Pension Scheme for compulsorily transferring staff, and new starters.
The Government expects that any outsourced services are delivered by trusts in a way that improves quality, ensures greater stability and longer-term investment in the workforce, and delivers better value for money, as part of the broader commitments on procurement, as set out in the Make Work Pay programme, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/make-work-pay
NHS staff continue to work incredibly hard on delivering the best possible care for patients, and wherever they work across the health service, we expect the highest standards and good terms and conditions.
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 implications for his policies of the Institute for Fiscal Studies' report entitled The short- and medium-term effects of Sure Start on children’s outcomes, published in May 2025.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to giving every child the best start in life and recognise the importance of early years services as essential for future health and education outcomes. The findings of the Institute for Fiscal Studies' report showed that Sure Start generated widespread, long-lasting benefits on children’s outcomes.
Building on lessons from Sure Start, the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme provides joined-up support for babies, children, and families. As a first step, the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme has been extended in 2025/26, with £126 million being made available for families to deliver on the Plan for Change.
We will consider the findings from the Institute for Fiscal Studies as we continue to develop our approach to the future of support for babies, children, and their families.
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 merits of (a) increasing the soft drinks industry levy and (b) lowering the threshold for drinks to be subject to the levy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
HM Treasury is the department responsible for taxation policy. The Department of Health and Social Care provides input and support as appropriate.
Indicative analysis has been conducted by the Department to estimate the calorie reduction through reformulation and substitution to alternative drinks, and the subsequent health and economic benefits as a result of the proposed changes to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL). This includes lowering the standard sugar threshold from 5 grams to 4 grams total sugar per 100 millilitres, and removing the current exemption for pre-packaged milk based and milk substitute drinks.
Where the proposed changes to the SDIL are successful in influencing behaviour and lowering consumption of high sugar drinks, positive health and economic outcomes are expected from reduced calorie intake in diets. The indicative analysis estimates per person per day calorie reductions of 0.9 kcal in five to 10 year olds, 2.1 kcal in 11 to 18 year olds, 1.2 kcal in 19 to 64 year olds, and 0.5 kcal in those aged 65 years old and over. This is the equivalent to approximately 15 million kcals per day in children and 46 million kcals per day in adults on a population level in England. The contribution to the calorie reduction from the two proposed changes to the SDIL varies by age group, however, as an example for those aged 19 to 64 years old, the contribution is 85% for reducing the lower sugar threshold and 15% for removing the previous exemptions for milk-based and milk substitute drinks.
These calorie reductions could achieve health and economic benefits of approximately £4.2 billion over 25 years, including:
- reduced morbidity, which could result in reduced cost pressures to the National Health Service, resulting in NHS savings of £100 million;
- wider health benefits to the population through improved quality of life, leading to reduced mortality and premature morbidity, which are estimated to be worth approximately £3.1 billion;
- social care savings that could amount to £100 million; and
- reduced morbidity and premature mortality, which could be expected to deliver approximately £800 million in economic output through additional labour force participation.
The Department has not done an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the SDIL.
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 health inequalities on the (a) demand for and (b) cost of delivering NHS services in Bournemouth.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service is responsible for determining allocations to the integrated care boards (ICBs). In allocating budgets, they have two aims: equal opportunity of access for equal need; and reducing health inequalities that are amenable to NHS healthcare. There are a range of adjustments made in the core ICB allocations formula that account for the fact that the costs of providing health care may vary in coastal areas like Bournemouth.
The NHS South West Regional Team, whose area includes Bournemouth, provides assurance and support on inequalities, system performance, and productivity. Engagement with key stakeholders in the region is undertaken through the Regional Reducing Inequalities Group.
In response to the NHS’s Statement on Information on Health Inequalities, NHS Dorset publishes an annual report on health inequalities which includes comprehensive information relating to the 24 health inequality indicators by ICBs as a whole, and where relevant by the NHS trust specifically. Further information on the NHS’s Statement on Information on Health Inequalities and the latest annual report on health inequalities is available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-englands-statement-on-information-on-health-inequalities/
https://nhsdorset.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Health-Inequalities-annual-report-2024.pdf
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 the reduce the financial pressures of long-term care for people ineligible for state support.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Fee rates are set by providers of adult social care, the majority of which are in the independent sector. The Department does not have powers to set or recommend the level of fees that private care homes can charge. 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.