Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration he has given to amending the NHS Charges to Overseas Visitors Regulations 2015 to remove the exclusion of assisted conception services for Ukrainian nationals who are lawfully resident in the UK under (a) the Homes for Ukraine and (b) Ukraine Permission to Extend visa schemes.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Assisted conception services often require long-term treatment, lasting months or years, which does not align with the short-term nature of all visas that are covered by the Immigration Health Surcharge, including the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Permission Extension Schemes. There are currently no plans to amend the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason assisted conception services are excluded from the exemption from NHS charges for people in the UK under (a) the Homes for Ukraine and (b) Ukraine Permission to Extend visa schemes.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Assisted conception services often require long-term treatment, lasting months or years, which does not align with the short-term nature of all visas that are covered by the Immigration Health Surcharge, including the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Permission Extension Schemes. There are currently no plans to amend the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 level of funding in hospice care in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission, including the Somerset ICB, which covers the Yeovil constituency. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment.
We are supporting the hospice sector with an initial £100 million investment and a recent additional £25 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. The full £125 million has now been allocated to 158 eligible hospices by Hospice UK, and I can confirm that St Margaret’s Hospice in the Yeovil constituency is receiving £986,184 from this capital funding.
The capital funding is helping hospices to provide the best end of life care to patients and their families in a supportive and dignified physical environment. Funding helps to support hospices and deliver much needed improvements including refurbishments, overhauling IT systems, and improving facilities for patients and visitors.
Additionally, children and young people’s hospices will receive £26 million in revenue funding this year. We have also confirmed the continuation of this funding stream, approximately totalling £80 million of revenue funding over the next three years, which will provide stability for the sector over that period.
More widely, the Government is developing a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework. Contracting and commissioning arrangements will be considered as part of this work.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what standardised guidance is available to NHS maternity services regarding a) paternal involvement and b) support for fathers in childbirth.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Royal College of Midwives have issued guidelines emphasising the importance of involving fathers and partners in maternity and perinatal care. These guidelines set expectations for trusts to adopt family-centred care and to treat fathers as active participants, not just visitors or observers. These resources are available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://rcm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/engaging_dads_pocket_guide.pdf
The Department and NHS England do not hold data on the proportion of births in National Health Service facilities at which a father is present.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the proportion of births in NHS facilities at which a father is present.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Royal College of Midwives have issued guidelines emphasising the importance of involving fathers and partners in maternity and perinatal care. These guidelines set expectations for trusts to adopt family-centred care and to treat fathers as active participants, not just visitors or observers. These resources are available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://rcm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/engaging_dads_pocket_guide.pdf
The Department and NHS England do not hold data on the proportion of births in National Health Service facilities at which a father is present.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that every neighbourhood health service in England includes dementia specialism within multidisciplinary teams, with dementia specialist nursing as a core component.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Neighbourhood Health Services will bring together integrated neighbourhood teams of professionals and partners closer to people’s home, including nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, employment support, children’s services, and more, to work together to support people and places to improve their health and wellbeing.
Neighbourhood Health provides the unifying framework that brings together what is already underway across primary care, community services, urgent care, prevention, digital, estates and population health into a single, coherent model focused on improved access, experience and outcomes.
The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs) and may include specialist nurses. We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
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 effectiveness of sexual misconduct policies implemented by NHS integrated care boards for protecting NHS staff from sexual misconduct by other staff members.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Sexual misconduct of any kind has no place in the National Health Service. NHS England is actively working to ensure that the NHS is a safe environment for employees, patients, and visitors.
NHS England published the Sexual Safety Charter in 2023, setting out the principles we expect all NHS organisations to uphold. Every integrated care board (ICB) and NHS trust has now signed up to the charter and are in the process of assuring themselves that actions are being taken against all principles. Further information on the Sexual Safety Charter is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/sexual-safety-in-healthcare-organisational-charter/
In 2024, all ICBs and NHS trusts were asked to implement the Sexual Misconduct Policy Framework which proposes that NHS organisations adopt, among other things, anonymous reporting mechanisms for staff. In line with this policy, approximately three quarters of all trusts have adopted anonymous reporting of sexual misconduct allegations. Further information on the Sexual Misconduct Policy Framework is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-people-sexual-misconduct-policy-framework/
From August 2025, all trusts and ICBs were required to audit their sexual misconduct policies, review and update relevant policies, such as information sharing and chaperoning, and keep Electronic Staff Records up to date with ongoing and completed staff investigations.
In December 2025, all trusts and ICBs were required to redouble their efforts in relation to sexual misconduct. This includes participating in nationally commissioned training on investigating sexual misconduct cases, ensuring they have a pool of specially trained doctors and dentists, and implementing review groups for cases where there is a sexual dimension to allegations. A further requirement on ICBs and trusts to audit their sexual misconduct policies was issued at this time
The Government will introduce a new set of standards for modern employment in April 2026. The new standards are likely to focus on areas such as improving staff health and wellbeing and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace. They will provide a framework for leaders across the NHS to build a supportive culture.
While important progress is being made on sexual misconduct policies, the Government is clear that we will continue to monitor and take all necessary action to address sexual misconduct in the NHS.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 90706, how neighbourhood health services in the West Midlands will be staffed in practice; what steps are being taken to address workforce shortages in general practice, community nursing and district nursing; what role Integrated Care Boards and elected local authorities will play in the design and oversight of neighbourhood health services; and how democratic accountability will be ensured.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.
Neighbourhood health services will bring together integrated neighbourhood teams of professionals and partners closer to people’s home, including nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, employment support, children’s services, and more, to work together to support people and places to improve their health and wellbeing.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, general practice services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. Both ICBs and local health systems will be responsible for designing neighbourhood health services and centres that reflect the needs of their local populations. This will be the case for determining neighbourhood health services and staffing in the West Midlands.
The 10-Year Health Plan committed to neighbourhood health plans that will be drawn up in partnership with ICBs, local authorities, and partners.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the number of neurodivergent children living in temporary accommodation in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset and (c) England.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Homelessness is far too high, and this can have a devastating impact on those affected, including neurodivergent children. Accommodation provided to homeless households must be suitable to their needs. The government collects and publishes data on the support needs of households owed a homelessness duty (which includes households with support needs due to learning disabilities).
In October 2025 the government announced £10.9 million funding for 61 councils with the highest levels of children in temporary accommodation. This funding will be used to increase access to support and services for families and make a tangible impact on their quality of life whilst they remain in need. This will deliver positive benefits for education and health outcomes, including school attendance.
Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we are introducing a single unique identifier for children nationally to help improve information sharing and safeguarding, which means practitioners and services working with families and children must receive and share relevant information about children and families they support, including to assess safeguarding risks effectively. We will introduce a new duty on councils to notify schools, health visitors and GPs that a child is in temporary accommodation.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the experiences of neurodivergent children living in temporary accommodation in Yeovil constituency
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Homelessness is far too high, and this can have a devastating impact on those affected, including neurodivergent children. Accommodation provided to homeless households must be suitable to their needs. The government collects and publishes data on the support needs of households owed a homelessness duty (which includes households with support needs due to learning disabilities).
In October 2025 the government announced £10.9 million funding for 61 councils with the highest levels of children in temporary accommodation. This funding will be used to increase access to support and services for families and make a tangible impact on their quality of life whilst they remain in need. This will deliver positive benefits for education and health outcomes, including school attendance.
Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we are introducing a single unique identifier for children nationally to help improve information sharing and safeguarding, which means practitioners and services working with families and children must receive and share relevant information about children and families they support, including to assess safeguarding risks effectively. We will introduce a new duty on councils to notify schools, health visitors and GPs that a child is in temporary accommodation.