Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to make the provision of women's health hubs by ICBs mandatory.

A target on women’s health hubs was not needed in this year’s planning guidance because the target was met. We have moved away from central targets through the planning guidance and are supporting integrated care boards (ICBs) to continue improving their delivery of women’s health hubs. This is in line with their responsibility to decide which services they want to commission in order to meet the needs of their local populations and will therefore not be mandated. We have heard from ICBs on the positive impacts that women’s health hubs have on both women's access to care in the community and their experiences. The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and to support ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to moving towards a neighbourhood health service, with more care delivered in local communities, to identify and address problems earlier and closer to home. Women’s health hubs are an example of this approach and can play a key role in delivering the Government’s commitments on tackling long National Health Service waiting lists, as well as shifting care into the community.