Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the number of parking spaces designated for disabled people at NHS hospitals.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Disabled blue badge holders are entitled to free hospital car parking in line with the Government’s commitment to provide free hospital car parking for those with the greatest need. Disabled patients and visitors receive free parking for the duration of their attendance at, or visit to, the hospital. Disabled employees receive free parking while at the hospital, for purposes relating to their employment.
National Health Service organisations decide locally on the provision and type of car parking spaces, in line with the policy set out by the Department, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses were employed by United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The table below shows the number of full-time equivalent doctors and nurses, the latter of which includes health visitors, employed by the United Lincolnshire Hospital NHS Trust, in December of each of the last five years:
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Doctors | 802 | 882 | 922 | 997 | 1,080 |
Nurses | 1,626 | 1,611 | 1,723 | 1,809 | 2,105 |
Source: data is based on the monthly National Health Service workforce statistics published by NHS England, available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to ensure that women who are held in police cells are supported by at least one officer who is a woman.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to ensuring that custody is a safe and dignified environment for all detainees, visitors and staff which operates professionally, respectfully and lawfully.
Police custody is governed by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Codes of Practice which sets out the legal framework for the detention, treatment and questioning of persons by police officers. PACE Code C requires that as soon as practicable after arrival at the police station, each detainee must be given an opportunity to speak in private with a member of custody staff of the same sex as them about any matter concerning their personal needs relating to their health, hygiene and welfare that might affect or concern them whilst in custody. Arrangements must also be made for ensuring that a girl under the age of 18 is placed under the care of a female member of staff.
As policing is operationally independent of Government, Chief Constables and elected Police and Crime Commissioners are responsible for the operational management of custody suites.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure effective collaboration between early intervention services for babies with neurodevelopmental conditions.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Healthy Child Programme is the national public prevention and early intervention health framework for babies, children, and young people. Health visitors are specialist community public health nurses who lead the Healthy Child Programme from preconception to five years old. They deliver evidence-based interventions, which include five mandated reviews: antenatal; approximately two weeks after birth; six to eight weeks after birth; at one years old; and at two to two and a half years old. These include reviews of development and growth. Where a baby or child has special education needs or vulnerabilities, health visitors work in partnership with other professionals and families, to respond to health and care needs.
The Government is also investing approximately £300 million to improve support for families though the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. The programme is implementing many elements of the Government’s Best Start for Life Vision which was published in March 2021, and is delivering a step change in outcomes for babies, children, and their parents and carers in 75 local authorities in England, including those with high levels of deprivation. Many local authorities without funding have also chosen to implement elements of the vision.
Family hubs offer support to families from conception to two years old, and provide services for children of all ages, from zero to 19 years old, or zero to 25 years old for families with children who have special educational needs and disabilities. Family hubs are a way of joining up locally to improve access to services, the connections between families, professionals, services, and providers, and prioritise strengthening the relationships that carry us all through life. They bring together services for children of all ages, with a great Start for Life offer at their core.
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 assessment they have made of the finding by the NHS Confederation that there has been a 26 per cent cut to the public health grant per person in real terms since 2015–16; and what plans they have to ensure that every baby and young child in England can receive the full Healthy Child Programme.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
At the 2021 Spending Review, we considered the need for local government public health funding, and have provided cash growth in the Public Health Grant to local authorities each year over the settlement period. In 2024/25 the total Public Health Grant to local authorities will be £3.603 billion, providing local authorities with an average 2.1% cash increase compared to 2023/24.
In addition to the Public Health Grant, we have provided additional targeted investment to local authorities in England for drug and alcohol addiction treatment and recovery, and services that support the best start in life. From April 2024 we will also double current spend on stop smoking services, in support of our commitment to deliver a smoke-free generation. This overall funding package will deliver a real term increase of more than 4%, over the two years 2023/24 and 2024/25, in Department funding allocated for local authority public health functions.
Local authorities are responsible for using their Public Health Grant to provide a Healthy Child Programme that best meet the needs of their local populations. In addition, the health visiting workforce is fundamental to enabling successful delivery of this programme, and as part of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, we will be expanding training places by 74% to over 1,300 by 2031/32. To support progress towards this expansion, training places for health visitors will grow by 17% by 2028/29.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to assess the adequacy of staffing levels in public health.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In October 2022, Health Education England carried out the fifth national census to capture the size and composition of the public health workforce in England. The scope of the 2022 census was expanded to include additional roles beyond specialists, including public health practitioners, advanced practitioners, specialist community public health nurses, including school nurses and health visitors, and public health apprentices. NHS England plans to conduct the next capacity review of the public health workforce in 2025, and will work with the Department to define the scope of the review.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published on 30 June 2023, sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver a health workforce that meets the needs of the population. This includes a commitment to provide 13% more public health specialist training places from 2023/24, and for the NHS to work with the Department to address demand and supply of the public health workforce in future years.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness of what can be done to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Prevention and early intervention are paramount to preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and we want to ensure that every family receives the support and guidance they need during the early days of parenthood.
Health visitors have an important role supporting child health, wellbeing, and parenting confidence. They support families in improving health literacy, managing minor illnesses, and preventing accidents, including promoting safe sleeping for babies. Health visitors can also work with early years services to ensure that safer sleep messages are promoted across early years services. Further information is available at the following link:
The Department is also working alongside NHS England and the National Child Mortality Database (NMCD) to increase the data bank on SIDS, to increase our evidence base, understanding, and inform actions and policy.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses there were in Bournemouth in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2024.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold information on National Health Service staff by where they reside. Data on staff working across hospital and community health services is collected and reported based on the hospital trust that employs staff. Therefore, data is presented for the relevant local hospital trust.
The acute hospital trust that covered Bournemouth in 2010 was The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. In 2020 there was a merger with Poole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and now Bournemouth is covered by the newly formed University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. The Department does not hold data on NHS staffing levels for 2024, however the latest data published by NHS England is for November 2023, and is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics
Direct comparisons of the change in staffing over time are difficult to make, due to the impact of the merger in 2020. However, the following table shows the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors and nurses working at The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in November 2010, and the number of FTE doctors and nurses working at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust in November 2023:
| Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust | ||
| Doctors | Nurses (including health visitors) | Doctors | Nurses (including health visitors) |
November 2010 | 395 | 1,001 | - | - |
November 2023 | - | - | 1,110 | 2,274 |
Asked by: Baroness Wyld (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many home visits from (1) midwives, and (2) health visitors, women currently receive after childbirth.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The health visiting service offer is universal to all families, and is underpinned by the national Healthy Child Programme. This offer begins with the antenatal contact and continues until school entry at five years old. There are five mandated universal contacts for health visiting which include: antenatal review; new birth visit; six to eight week review; one year review; and two to two-and-a-half year review. More targeted support, comprising of additional contacts above the mandated number, are delivered depending on assessment of individual family needs. Mandated health visitor reviews should be held face to face, although there may be local variations and blended approaches used. The health visiting service is delivered in a range of settings including families’ own homes, local community, or primary care settings.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to (a) tackle shortages of health visitors and (b) help ensure that they are resourced to support parents of children with mental health challenges.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2023/24, local authorities in England received £3.53 billion from the Government to fund public health services. This includes health visits and school nurse services for delivery of the Healthy Child Programme, through the Public Health Grant. As a part of the programme, health visitors undertake holistic assessments in partnership with families, which includes assessment of maternal mental health and infant mental health needs. These assessments cover the parents’ capacity to meet their infant’s needs, the impact and influence of wider family and community, and environmental circumstances. Working with families, health visitors identify the most appropriate level of support and intervention. This includes resources for health visitors to use in supporting families with mental health challenges experienced by both children and parents. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan aims for an increase in health visitor training places by 17% by 2028 and by 73% by 2031. The programmes schedule of interventions is available at the following link:
https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/pathways-healthy-child/