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 (a) ensure adequate staffing levels for maternity services in Enfield North constituency and (b) support families affected by (i) miscarriage and (ii) stillbirth.

The Government has added £165 million of recurring investment to the annual maternity budget since 2021, to grow and support the maternity workforce and improve neonatal care, including maternity services in Enfield North Constituency.

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver a workforce for the NHS that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. It will put the workforce on a sustainable footing for the long term.

The Government is backing the plan with over £2.4 billion over the next five years to fund additional education and training places over five years. This is on top of increases to education and training investment, reaching a record £6.1 billion over the next two years.

Additionally, the NHS People Plan has been developed to focus on improving the retention of NHS staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing. £45 million has been invested in 2022/23 to support the continuation of 40 mental health hubs across the country, the Professional Nurse Advocates programme, and expanding the NHS Practitioner Health service.

Mental health services around England are being expanded to include new mental health “hubs” for new, expectant, or bereaved mothers. The 33 new maternal mental health services will provide psychological therapy, maternity services, and reproductive health for women with mental health needs following trauma or loss related to their maternity experience. These will be available across England by March 2024.