Department of Health and Social Care

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is responsible for reimbursing water undertakers for the reasonable costs associated with water fluoridation schemes. In the financial year 2023/24, these costs were £4,109,521 in revenue and £348,351 in capital for the estimated six million people in England covered by such schemes.

Ensuring technologies are safe is a top priority. To ensure the regulatory pathway is clear for both developers and adopters, the Department has supported the launch of numerous regulatory projects such as the AI and Digital Regulation Service (AIDRS) and the AI Airlock.

The AIDRS collaborates between the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Health Research Authority, and the Care Quality Commission. The service, by providing a collaborative ‘one stop shop’ of information, advice, and guidance, allows adopters and developers of artificial intelligence (AI) to easily understand what regulatory and evaluation pathways need to be followed before an AI tool can be safety deployed across health and care.

The AI Airlock is an MHRA-led initiative, supported by the NHS AI Lab, designed to create a controlled testing environment where developers can rigorously validate AI tools in real-world clinical settings before full-scale deployment, ensuring they meet National Health Service standards for safety, efficacy, and integration into existing healthcare workflows. The AI Airlock fosters collaboration between developers, regulators, and healthcare providers, and reduces the risks associated with early-stage implementation while providing valuable feedback for developers to refine their products.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidelines for the referral of patients who present with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), which is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/urinary-tract-infection-lower-women/management/recurrent-uti-no-haematuria-not-pregnant-or-catheterized/

There are specific referral criteria for women, compared to men and children. There are also guidelines in place for those who present to Pharmacy First. If the patient has had a history of UTIs, they are asked to see their general practice (GP) surgery, rather than being prescribed antibiotics by the pharmacy.

Patients with recurrent UTIs should be referred to secondary care to exclude other causes, perhaps through an ultrasound scan or a cystoscopy. Once cleared, patients may be prescribed prophylactic antibiotics.

The number of lower urinary tract symptom service clinics are locally managed and commissioned by integrated care boards, in accordance with local population need.

While there are no current plans to train GPs and urologists on recognising the symptoms of chronic UTIs, NHS England’s UTI reduction workstream was established as part of the delivery of the UK 5-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2019 to 2024. This workstream aims to enhance prevention, support early and accurate diagnosis, and improve the treatment of UTIs through identifying and adopting best practice, and through interventions for different population groups.

NHS England has also been working with other public bodies, including the UK Health Security Agency, to strengthen the guidance regarding the appropriate use of diagnostics, including dipsticks. GPs can request testing for chronic UTIs via several pathways, including at point-of-care, via community diagnostic centres, or via laboratories. Laboratories across England adhere to stringent quality standards, including the UK Accreditation Standard ISO 15189, and implement robust internal and external quality assurance schemes, ensuring the accuracy of the tests used.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidelines for the referral of patients who present with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), which is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/urinary-tract-infection-lower-women/management/recurrent-uti-no-haematuria-not-pregnant-or-catheterized/

There are specific referral criteria for women, compared to men and children. There are also guidelines in place for those who present to Pharmacy First. If the patient has had a history of UTIs, they are asked to see their general practice (GP) surgery, rather than being prescribed antibiotics by the pharmacy.

Patients with recurrent UTIs should be referred to secondary care to exclude other causes, perhaps through an ultrasound scan or a cystoscopy. Once cleared, patients may be prescribed prophylactic antibiotics.

The number of lower urinary tract symptom service clinics are locally managed and commissioned by integrated care boards, in accordance with local population need.

While there are no current plans to train GPs and urologists on recognising the symptoms of chronic UTIs, NHS England’s UTI reduction workstream was established as part of the delivery of the UK 5-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2019 to 2024. This workstream aims to enhance prevention, support early and accurate diagnosis, and improve the treatment of UTIs through identifying and adopting best practice, and through interventions for different population groups.

NHS England has also been working with other public bodies, including the UK Health Security Agency, to strengthen the guidance regarding the appropriate use of diagnostics, including dipsticks. GPs can request testing for chronic UTIs via several pathways, including at point-of-care, via community diagnostic centres, or via laboratories. Laboratories across England adhere to stringent quality standards, including the UK Accreditation Standard ISO 15189, and implement robust internal and external quality assurance schemes, ensuring the accuracy of the tests used.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidelines for the referral of patients who present with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), which is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/urinary-tract-infection-lower-women/management/recurrent-uti-no-haematuria-not-pregnant-or-catheterized/

There are specific referral criteria for women, compared to men and children. There are also guidelines in place for those who present to Pharmacy First. If the patient has had a history of UTIs, they are asked to see their general practice (GP) surgery, rather than being prescribed antibiotics by the pharmacy.

Patients with recurrent UTIs should be referred to secondary care to exclude other causes, perhaps through an ultrasound scan or a cystoscopy. Once cleared, patients may be prescribed prophylactic antibiotics.

The number of lower urinary tract symptom service clinics are locally managed and commissioned by integrated care boards, in accordance with local population need.

While there are no current plans to train GPs and urologists on recognising the symptoms of chronic UTIs, NHS England’s UTI reduction workstream was established as part of the delivery of the UK 5-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2019 to 2024. This workstream aims to enhance prevention, support early and accurate diagnosis, and improve the treatment of UTIs through identifying and adopting best practice, and through interventions for different population groups.

NHS England has also been working with other public bodies, including the UK Health Security Agency, to strengthen the guidance regarding the appropriate use of diagnostics, including dipsticks. GPs can request testing for chronic UTIs via several pathways, including at point-of-care, via community diagnostic centres, or via laboratories. Laboratories across England adhere to stringent quality standards, including the UK Accreditation Standard ISO 15189, and implement robust internal and external quality assurance schemes, ensuring the accuracy of the tests used.

Between January 2024 and December 2024, the percentage of medical assessment reports returned within 15 working days of receipt of a fully completed medical record was 99.8%. In the same period, 10 medical assessment reports were not returned within the 15-day timeframe. Of these, nine reports were returned within a month, with one report delayed by more than a month. No medical assessment reports were delayed either by more than six or 12 months.

The supplier has previously had service credits applied as a result of not returning medical assessment reports to the NHS Business Services Authority within 15 working days. As the supplier has achieved above 95% in relation to this target since August 2023, no service credits have been applied since 2023.

For the 2025/26 financial year, the budget allocated for the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme is £38.6 million. The forecasted amount within this budget for vaccine damage payments is approximately £9 million. The budget for the 2025/26 financial year is based on estimates that approximately 8,500 assessments, including mandatory reversals, will be carried out in 2025/26.

The budget allocated for payments has no bearing on the outcomes of individual assessments. The NHS Business Services Authority will request additional funding from the Department to process additional claims if needed, for example if the number of claims received is more than forecasted.

NHS England run Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address the barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.

The Department continues to advise patients to follow National Health Service guidance on signs and symptoms of several types of cancer, including prostate cancer. This advice is available publicly on the NHS.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/

To address disparities and find ways to better detect prostate cancer earlier, we have invested £16 million in the United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, aimed at helping find the best ways of detecting prostate cancer in men, even if they are not displaying any symptoms. This research will aim to address some of the inequalities that exist in prostate cancer diagnosis by targeting black men in trial recruitment, ensuring that one in ten participants are black men.

We have also asked the National Screening Committee to review the evidence for prostate cancer screening, including for high-risk groups like black men.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/

The NHSBSA does not hold data on the number of families receiving Healthy Start. The number of people on the scheme receiving Healthy Start in February 2025 for South Devon is 1,239.

The NHSBSA does not currently hold data on the number of people who are eligible for the scheme. An issue was identified with the Healthy Start source data that is used to calculate uptake of the NHS Healthy Start scheme. The NHSBSA removed the data for the number of people eligible for the scheme and the uptake percentage from January 2023 onwards.

The issue has only affected the data on the number of people eligible for the scheme. It has not prevented anyone from joining the scheme or continuing to access the scheme if they are eligible.

The following table shows the number of people on the scheme in February 2025 for all three wards in South Devon:

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 March 2025 to the Hon. Member for Colne Valley, to Question 38920.

The NHS Business Services Authority is the scheme manager for NHS Pensions. NHS England is the employing authority for general practices (GPs) and undertakes local pension administration for GPs through Primary Care Support England (PCSE). NHS England entered into a contract with Capita Business Services Ltd, also known as Capita, to deliver primary care support services and save costs. In order to monitor PCSE, NHS England has a monthly governance board in place to monitor and assure the delivery of the PCSE service, which includes assessment of quality and performance indicators.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) research recommendations for managing the long-term effects of COVID-19 were made in 2020 and 2021. Since this time, the Government has invested £58 million in research through two specific funding calls to better understand long COVID and how to treat it. Many of the funded research projects address the NICE’s research recommendations.

As findings emerge from the current research, we encourage researchers to apply for funding to build on and develop the newly established infrastructure, partnerships, and research capabilities. Government research funders remain available to support long COVID researchers in their applications for funding. For example, the National Institute for Health and Care Research has an open call for applications to meet the research recommendations identified in NICE guidance.

Primary Care Support England (PCSE) launched the PCSE Online GP Pensions system to provide general practitioners and general practices with greater convenience, and more transparency and security when it comes to their pension contributions data. NHS England regularly monitors the effectiveness of PCSE Online, to ensure it continues to meet the needs of general practices. This includes performance management of the IT system and service, supporting PCSE’s webinar development and delivery for users, and working closely with NHS Pensions and the British Medical Association to ensure that training is reflective of any changes.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), invests over £1.6 billion per year in health research. In 2023/24, the NIHR invested £133 million on cancer research.

Our investment plays a crucial role in underpinning the research funded by our partners. Examples of research into multi-cancer early detection tests currently funded by the NIHR in partnership with the Offices for Life Sciences are miONCO-Dx, a novel test which aims to detect 12 of the most lethal and common cancers at an early stage, and Enlighten, which explores a new means of detecting cancerous cells by analysing protein traces in blood samples. The NIHR also co-funds Cancer Data Driven Detection (CD3), a major new national research initiative in partnership with Cancer Research UK, which uses data to revolutionise our understanding of individual cancer risk, and to allow early detection of cancers.

On 4 February 2025, the Department announced that nearly 700,000 women across the country will take part in a world-leading trial to test how cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools can be used to catch breast cancer cases earlier. The Early Detection using Information Technology in Health trial is backed by £11 million of Government support via the NIHR. The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health, including early detection and innovative cancer screening methods.

Ministers will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.

By the end of the process, we estimate that these changes will save hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes data on the number of death registrations where sepsis was the underlying cause of death, and where sepsis was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, in England and Wales between 2001 and 2023. According to the ONS, in 2023, the number of deaths registered where sepsis was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate in England and Wales was 26,203. The ONS has not yet published the number of death registrations for sepsis for 2024. ONS data for deaths involving sepsis is available at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/adhocs/2111deathsinvolvingsepsisenglandandwales2001to2023

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to determine the structure and requirements of the team required to support the creation of a new centre for health and care.

The National Cancer Plan will be published in the second half of 2025, after the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan. To help inform the content of the National Cancer Plan, on 4 February 2025, the Department launched a Call for Evidence, inviting people from across the country to share their views on what they think should be included within the plan. The Call for Evidence will close on 29 April 2025.

We will provide updates on the development of the plan, including on publication dates, in due course. Those who wish to share their views can do so on the new online platform. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan

The abolition of NHS England is expected to bring savings that would amount to hundreds of millions of pounds a year. While there will be some upfront costs, we are confident that the reform to wipe out duplication and drive a smaller centre, based in a single organisation, will generate significant savings in the long run, which can then be allocated to front line services.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is not involved in the allocation of funds from the Horserace Betting Levy (HBL). The HBL is administered by the Horserace Betting Levy Board, an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

As part of the Respiratory Solutions Framework, NHS Supply Chain supplies fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) devices and related consumables. The spend for the past 12 months is as follows:

• £127,903.00 for FeNO devices, some of which come with starter consumables; and
• £483,210.00 for FeNO consumables.

Please note that these figures are for spend by NHS Supply Chain, and do not include spending for the whole National Health Service.

The Department does not hold the information requested.

The urgent and emergency care improvement plan will set expectations for the National Health Service in England to deliver improvements in urgent and emergency care services and set the foundations for future areas of reform, in line with the 2025/26 NHS Operational Planning Guidance. It is anticipated that the plan will be published as part of the current NHS planning round.

Sir Jim Mackey will lead the transition team bringing the work of NHS England and the Department together over the next two years. This work will have no impact on the forthcoming publication of the 10-Year Health Plan and the subsequent reconsideration of the long-term workforce needs of the National Health Service which will follow.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

We have delivered an additional two million appointments in England, seven months ahead of schedule. This includes operations, consultations, diagnostic tests, and treatments. These additional appointments have taken place across a number of specialities, including neurology.

We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed, to move healthcare from hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention. A central and core part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities, including in the Stockport constituency and Greater Manchester.

There are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with Parkinson’s disease in England, including the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit, and the Neurology Transformation Programme.

Once diagnosed, and with a management strategy in place, the majority of people with Parkinson’s can be cared for through routine access to primary and secondary care. NHS England commissions the specialised elements of Parkinson’s care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. One of these neurological centres is based at the Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust in Greater Manchester.

Within specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure patients can access a range of health professionals, including Parkinson’s disease nurses, psychologists, and allied health professionals such as dieticians and speech and language therapists, and that they can receive specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.

In addition, in February 2024, a new treatment for advanced-stage Parkinson’s, foslevodopa–foscarbidopa, was rolled out in the NHS. It has been shown to improve motor function, with patients experiencing longer periods of time without dyskinesia.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. The detail of the plan will be set out in due course, but all of these shifts are relevant to improving first aid in all parts of the county. Throughout the 10-Year Health Plan engagement process, we have sought the views of first aid charities and organisations, with representation from the British Red Cross at our Partners Council, where they have provided views on emerging policy themes.

Whilst the 10-Year Health Plan is being developed, we are continuing to invest in first aid training and equipment. For example, the Community Automated External Defibrillators Fund is a £1 million fund that is increasing the number of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) within England. Further to this, NHS England has partnered with St John Ambulance to co-ordinate skills development to significantly increase the use of AEDs by individuals in community settings.

The Government is committed to taking action to address longstanding concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. This includes considering the proposals that the Department previously consulted on for the introduction of a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England. We will set out the details of our approach at the earliest opportunity.

In a bid to improve patients' survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, the Government has committed to improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. Following the depletion of the existing AED Fund, launched in September 2023, the Government approved a further £500,000 in August 2024 to fulfil the existing applications to the fund.

As part of the application process, the Department has set out requirements to ensure that resources are allocated to where there is the greatest need, for instance in remote communities with extended ambulance response times, places with high footfall and high population densities, hotspots for cardiac arrest, including sporting venues and venues with vulnerable people, and deprived areas. Three AEDs have been distributed through the AED Fund in Woking.

The policy for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) programme is based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), an independent expert advisory committee. That advice is provided to the Government to inform, develop, and make policy.

In 2023, RSV programmes for those aged over 65 years old and those aged over 75 years old were assessed by the JCVI for their potential impact and cost effectiveness. There was more certainty in the data available at the time to support a programme for those aged over 75 years old. Therefore, the JCVI advised a programme for older adults aged 75 years old and above. However, the JCVI did note that as more data accumulated, the impact and cost effectiveness for those aged over 65 years old could be kept under review.

The committee keeps all vaccine programmes under review and will continue to update its advice as new evidence emerges.

The provision of care and management for people with facial palsy, also known as Bell’s palsy, is the responsibility of general practices, under local integrated care boards.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced a clinical knowledge summary on Bell’s palsy, last revised in February 2023, which provides primary care practitioners with a readily accessible summary of the current evidence base and practical advice on best practice for Bell’s palsy. This clinical knowledge summary is available on the NICE’s website, at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/bells-palsy/

Our 10-Year Health Plan will consider what actions are needed to improve patient access and reduce waiting times for patients, including those with facial or Bell’s palsy, by setting out a bold agenda to deliver on the big shifts needed, including the shift from the hospital to the community.

NHS England has specified turnaround times for genomic tests, with times varying based on the type of test and referral, ranging from a few days for urgent tests, a few weeks for single gene tests, to several months for complex tests. Genomic testing is delivered by a network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). Each GLH publishes their own turnaround time activity for genomics testing.

The National Optimal Lung Cancer Pathway sets out the target to meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard of a maximum 28 days from referral to the communication of a cancer diagnosis, or to rule out cancer. The Department is supporting NHS England to meet this target by investing in increasing diagnostic capacity, with the capacity prioritised for cancer activity.

As of 16 February 2025, 14 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are providing transient elastography liver scans, also known as fibroscans. By 31 March 2025, one further CDC is expected to become operational and able to offer fibroscans. NHS England is taking steps to improve the early detection of liver disease in high risk groups, both in primary and community care settings.

As of the end of February 2025, the Community Liver Health Check Programme is now in place across 19 areas, helping to identify individual patients at greater risk of cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis. The programme is identifying people at high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and referring them into, as well as supporting them to stay in, surveillance programmes. From June 2022 to January 2025, over 93,500 fibroscans have been delivered through the pilots, with 6,421 people having enrolled into HCC surveillance.

Primary Care Liver Case Finding pilots have also been funded across 12 primary care networks, as of the end of February 2025. These pilots used primary care records to identify patients at high risk of cirrhosis, in order to offer them blood tests and fibroscans. Over 12,700 people have been tested, and 300 people have been identified as having advanced liver disease requiring cancer surveillance, since the pilot began. These pilots are now being evaluated.

The continued funding of Laboratory Information Management Systems will also be a key step in enabling the development of liver disease pathways starting in primary care, along with the use of intelligent liver function tests, which are an effective primary diagnostic test.

The most recently published data on diagnoses of pancreatic cancer in England is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-sets/rcrd

Between November 2023 and October 2024, the most recent period available, a total of 9,396 people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

There are no diagnostic tests for long COVID currently approved for use in the United Kingdom, and clinicians must rule out other conditions which present with similar symptoms to diagnose long COVID. Researchers are also working to identify blood-based biomarkers as the basis for diagnostic tests and targets for treatments.

Over the last five years, the Government, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council, has invested over £57 million in long COVID research, with almost £40 million of this through two specific research calls on long COVID.

This includes clinical trials to test and compare different treatments, and to improve our understanding of long COVID and how health professionals can accurately diagnose the condition. This research has improved the evidence base for clinicians in testing for and treating long COVID.

To support clinical leadership in this area, NHS England has worked in partnership with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to develop a new Clinical Post-COVID Society to facilitate the ongoing sharing of best practice and to support people affected by long COVID. Further information about the society is available at the following link:

https://www.clinicalpcs.org.uk

Improving early diagnosis rates is a key priority for the Government for all cancer types, including rare and less common cancers. We are improving public awareness of cancer signs and symptoms, streamlining referral routes, and increasing the availability of diagnostic capacity through the roll-out of more community diagnostic centres.

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms as well as encouraging ‘body awareness’ to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.

We are also committed to improving waiting times for cancer treatment, so that people with cancer, including rarer cancers, can get access to the care they need more quickly. The National Health Service has delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment.

Finally, the National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. The plan will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, to improve the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer, including rare and less common cancers.

Our commitment to tackle child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity, and the ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever. The Department is working closely with the Child Poverty Ministerial Taskforce on an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackle its root causes, and give every child the best start in life. The Government is committed to alleviating the negative experience of living in poverty through supporting families and enhancing public services.

Ahead of this strategy, work is already underway to support children living in poverty to access healthcare services. For example, the Department and NHS England are supporting Greater Manchester to improve access to the Healthy Start Scheme and poverty proofing services for children with long term conditions in the Northwest. Services for children offered in Stockport which are supported by the Department include Family Hubs, Start Well, and health visiting services.