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 family hubs on (a) neighbourhood health and (b) the delivery of integrated community-based health services.

The 10-Year Health Plan outlined proposals for a new Neighbourhood Health Service, which embodies our preventative principle, that care should happen as locally as it can. Neighbourhood health services will build on, and will coordinate with Best Start Family Hubs and Start for Life services to continue to integrate children’s services, National Health Services, and public health.

The Neighbourhood Health Service will mean that millions of patients are treated and cared for closer to their home by new teams of health professionals, providing easier, more convenient access to a full range of healthcare services on people’s doorsteps.

The impact of Family Hubs and Start for Life services will take time to be realised. The current Family Hubs and Start for Life programme is subject to two national, independent evaluations to understand its implementation and impact.