Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 (a) increase social care funding and (b) support local authorities with increases in demand for care services in North East Hampshire constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.
The additional funding available to Hampshire in 2025/26 means that they will see an increase to their core spending power of up to 6.7% in cash terms.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 (a) the proportion of babies and families who require specialist parent-infant relationship and infant mental health support and (b) the availability of services to meet that need.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 1,001 days from conception to two years old is a time of rapid development in which babies are shaped by their experiences, particularly the relationships with their caregivers.
The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. Through the Plan for Change we have committed to ensuring every child is set up for the best start in life through delivering accessible, integrated maternity, baby and family support services through the 1,001 days from conception to two years old. As a first step, in January 2025, we announced £126 million for the continuation of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 2025/26. This includes £36.5 million for bespoke perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support in 75 local authority areas with high levels of deprivation.
Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Services are also available to all women throughout England with or at risk of mental health conditions, who are planning a pregnancy, pregnant or have a baby up to two years old. This care includes increased access to evidence-based psychological therapies that support parent-infant relationships.
We have not made an assessment on the proportion of babies and families who require specialist parent-infant relationship support. We will continue to evaluate the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme and assess evidence to support wider rollout, including bespoke parent-infant relationship support services, in future financial years.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government have to ensure specialist parent-infant relationship and infant mental health support is available across England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 1,001 days from conception to two years old is a time of rapid development in which babies are shaped by their experiences, particularly the relationships with their caregivers.
The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. Through the Plan for Change we have committed to ensuring every child is set up for the best start in life through delivering accessible, integrated maternity, baby and family support services through the 1,001 days from conception to two years old. As a first step, in January 2025, we announced £126 million for the continuation of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 2025/26. This includes £36.5 million for bespoke perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support in 75 local authority areas with high levels of deprivation.
Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Services are also available to all women throughout England with or at risk of mental health conditions, who are planning a pregnancy, pregnant or have a baby up to two years old. This care includes increased access to evidence-based psychological therapies that support parent-infant relationships.
We have not made an assessment on the proportion of babies and families who require specialist parent-infant relationship support. We will continue to evaluate the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme and assess evidence to support wider rollout, including bespoke parent-infant relationship support services, in future financial years.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) safety and (b) regulation of (i) snus and (ii) nicotine pouches.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Oral tobacco, otherwise known as snus, has been banned in the United Kingdom and the European Union since 1992. All tobacco products are harmful to health, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer has determined that smokeless tobacco is carcinogenic to humans. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill re-enacts the existing ban in a way that is more comprehensive, clearer, and more accessible for the relevant parties, such as retailers and enforcement agencies. We have no intention of allowing a banned and harmful product into the UK market.
There is currently limited research and evidence into the harms of nicotine pouches. However, they are never recommended for children. Nicotine, the active ingredient in pouches, is a highly addicted drug, and we have a duty to protect children and young people from future harm and addiction. Advice on the health impacts of nicotine can be found on the Talk to Frank website, which is available at the following link:
https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/nicotine
That is why, through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are banning the advertisement and sponsorship of these products, introducing age of sale restrictions to 18 years old for nicotine pouches, banning free samples, and providing powers to restrict packaging, flavours, and point of sale displays.
Whilst the use of nicotine pouches is currently low among adults, it is increasingly popular with younger male audiences. We will continue to monitor the use of these products and will update public health guidance and messaging accordingly.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to National Insurance employer contributions on hospices in North East Hampshire constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, enabling the Spending Review settlement of £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.
The employer National Insurance contribution rise will be implemented in April 2025, and planning guidance published on 30 January 2025 sets out the funding available to integrated care boards and the overall approach to funding providers in the next financial year. It considers a variety of pay and non-pay factors and pressures on the providers of secondary healthcare, including charitable hospices. Further information on the planning guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance/
We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England, to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.
We are pleased to confirm that the Government has released the first £25 million tranche of the £100 million of capital funding, with Hospice UK kindly allocating and distributing the money to hospices throughout England. An additional £75 million will be available from April 2025.
In addition, I recently met the major palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, and long-term sector sustainability, within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan, was discussed at length.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has taken steps to introduce the measurement of infant head circumference to existing health visits since his meeting with Harry’s Hydrocephalus Awareness Trust on 6 November 2024; and whether he has set a deadline for commissioning a clinical review into infant head circumference measurement.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
It is vitally important that babies are diagnosed as early as possible, so treatment can be provided. Current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance recommends measuring the head circumference of babies in the first week, at approximately eight weeks old, and at other times only if there are concerns. The baby’s general practitioner, or nominated primary care examiner, has a responsibility for ensuring the six-to-eight-week newborn infant physical examination screen, where head size is measured, is completed for all registered babies. The Department is seeking advice from the NICE and the royal colleges on the value of a clinical review of the current guidelines surrounding infant head circumference.
The Healthy Child Programme sets out the requirements for health visiting services, including five mandated reviews where the child’s health and development is assessed. This includes when the baby is 10 to 14 days old and at six-to-eight-weeks old, and additional contacts depending on need, providing an opportunity to identify any health or development concerns and to make the appropriate referrals.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what account his review of the frequency of infant head measurements will take of (a) research by Harry’s Hydrocephalus Awareness Trust and (b) the experience of other developed countries.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
It is vitally important that babies are diagnosed as early as possible, so treatment can be provided. Current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance recommends measuring the head circumference of babies in the first week, at approximately eight weeks old, and at other times only if there are concerns. The baby’s general practitioner, or nominated primary care examiner, has a responsibility for ensuring the six-to-eight-week newborn infant physical examination screen, where head size is measured, is completed for all registered babies. The Department is seeking advice from the NICE and the royal colleges on the value of a clinical review of the current guidelines surrounding infant head circumference.
The Healthy Child Programme sets out the requirements for health visiting services, including five mandated reviews where the child’s health and development is assessed. This includes when the baby is 10 to 14 days old and at six-to-eight-weeks old, and additional contacts depending on need, providing an opportunity to identify any health or development concerns and to make the appropriate referrals.