Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with providers of community equipment services on their role in supporting (a) timely hospital discharge and (b) effective community-based care.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local National Health Service procuring authorities are responsible for assessing the timeliness and the quality of medical equipment delivered for their patients, procured under contracts they hold with suppliers.
Timely provision of community equipment supports people to remain as independent as possible, for as long as possible, and contributes significantly to the priorities of the Department, the NHS, and local authorities in terms of hospital avoidance and discharge.
Many NHS trusts and local authorities offer an Integrated Community Equipment Service (ICES) within the integrated health and social care system, as they support both the home first agenda and hospital flows. These services can be provided in-house or by external suppliers following a tender exercise. An ICES enables people to remain in or return to their homes as the primary setting for care, avoiding unnecessary stays in hospital or care homes. Also, an ICES facilitates timely hospital admissions, treatment, and discharge processes, minimising delays and improving capacity across the sector.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department’s long-term plan is for the community equipment services sector in the health and social care system.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local National Health Service procuring authorities are responsible for assessing the timeliness and the quality of medical equipment delivered for their patients, procured under contracts they hold with suppliers.
Timely provision of community equipment supports people to remain as independent as possible, for as long as possible, and contributes significantly to the priorities of the Department, the NHS, and local authorities in terms of hospital avoidance and discharge.
Many NHS trusts and local authorities offer an Integrated Community Equipment Service (ICES) within the integrated health and social care system, as they support both the home first agenda and hospital flows. These services can be provided in-house or by external suppliers following a tender exercise. An ICES enables people to remain in or return to their homes as the primary setting for care, avoiding unnecessary stays in hospital or care homes. Also, an ICES facilitates timely hospital admissions, treatment, and discharge processes, minimising delays and improving capacity across the sector.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
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 adequacy of mental health support for (a) fathers and (b) partners impacted by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby provided by (i) maternal mental health services, (ii) improving access to psychological support services and (iii) community mental health services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that experiencing baby loss can be devastating and we are committed to ensuring that all families receive safe, personalised, equitable and compassionate care.
Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Services offer mental health assessments and signposting to support as required for partners of women accessing services. This contributes to helping to care for the 5-10% of fathers who experience mental health difficulties during the perinatal period.
To date, we have not undertaken an assessment of the adequacy of mental health support for fathers and partners impacted by baby loss provided by Maternal Mental Health Services.
Mental health services within the National Health Service can support adults who are experiencing mental health problems because of baby loss. The Government has chosen to prioritise funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies. These offer well-governed, evidence-based, and effective psychological therapy services for common mental health problems, including depression, anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress reactions. These services are available in every integrated care system through self-referral.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all Integrated Care Systems in England commission Maternal Mental Health Services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise how important it is for women with perinatal mental health problems to get the right care and support they need. Women who need support can access specialist perinatal mental health services, including mother and baby units, specialist perinatal community teams, and newly established Maternal Mental Health Services.
Maternal Mental Health Services have been set up to provide care for women with moderate to severe or complex mental health difficulties arising from birth trauma or loss in the maternity and neonatal context.
As of April 2025, 41 Maternal Mental Health Services are live, with services in every integrated care system area in England due to be operational by end of the first quarter of 2025/26.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a report on the potential impact of outsourcing on collection and delivery of blood products on the NHS and hospices.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood services in England. NHSBT’s Logistics Department plays a key role in planning for, collecting, and delivering life saving and life changing donated blood products to hospitals across England. It does not deliver to hospices directly.
Last year over 150,000 deliveries were made to hospitals around England, with over 2,000 of those being emergencies. Of the total blood units supplied, NHSBT’s Logistics Transport delivered approximately 64%, and third parties delivered approximately 27%. Hospitals can collect their own blood unit order, making use of their own internal transport, couriers, or blood bike charity groups, and this equates to approximately 9% of total blood units supplied. Utilising couriers for ad hoc delivery is financially and environmentally advantageous, as NHSBT only pays for the delivery costs rather than the empty return journey of the vehicle, which may then be used for other purposes by the courier.
The current performance of courier delivery is audited through NHSBT’s Governance and compliance, and a key factor for measuring the effective running of the contract is that the courier partner collects blood products for delivery on time. The performance level that NHSBT sets is 98.5% on time collection, and this performance is currently exceeded. There are currently no plans to extend the use of third-party couriers for the delivery of blood products or to publish further information in this area.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
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 potential impact of outsourcing on collection and delivery of blood products to hospitals.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood services in England. NHSBT’s Logistics Department plays a key role in planning for, collecting, and delivering life saving and life changing donated blood products to hospitals across England. It does not deliver to hospices directly.
Last year over 150,000 deliveries were made to hospitals around England, with over 2,000 of those being emergencies. Of the total blood units supplied, NHSBT’s Logistics Transport delivered approximately 64%, and third parties delivered approximately 27%. Hospitals can collect their own blood unit order, making use of their own internal transport, couriers, or blood bike charity groups, and this equates to approximately 9% of total blood units supplied. Utilising couriers for ad hoc delivery is financially and environmentally advantageous, as NHSBT only pays for the delivery costs rather than the empty return journey of the vehicle, which may then be used for other purposes by the courier.
The current performance of courier delivery is audited through NHSBT’s Governance and compliance, and a key factor for measuring the effective running of the contract is that the courier partner collects blood products for delivery on time. The performance level that NHSBT sets is 98.5% on time collection, and this performance is currently exceeded. There are currently no plans to extend the use of third-party couriers for the delivery of blood products or to publish further information in this area.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children were admitted into NHS care for more than seven days in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England collects data on patient discharge episodes, including for children. Discharge data does not represent the number of individual children with a hospital stay, as a child may have more than one discharge from hospital within the reporting period.
Between April 2023 and March 2024, 67,421 discharge episodes were recorded where the patient was in hospital for more than seven days and was aged between zero and 17 years old when admitted into National Health Service care.
The following table shows a count of finished discharge episodes where the patient was aged between zero and 17 years old, including both total discharges and episodes where the patient was in hospital for more than seven days, each discharge month for 2023/24, for activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector:
Discharge year | Discharge month | Total discharges | Discharges over seven days |
2023 | April | 150,925 | 5,203 |
2023 | May | 167,886 | 5,731 |
2023 | June | 164,206 | 5,489 |
2023 | July | 160,981 | 5,393 |
2023 | August | 153,118 | 5,163 |
2023 | September | 162,577 | 5,203 |
2023 | October | 178,583 | 5,686 |
2023 | November | 186,682 | 6,144 |
2023 | December | 169,807 | 5,997 |
2024 | January | 174,492 | 5,698 |
2024 | February | 170,258 | 5,667 |
2024 | March | 180,789 | 6,047 |
Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS England.
Notes:
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on creating a National Care Service.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service.
Chaired by Baroness Casey of Blackstock, the Commission will start a national conversation about what people expect from adult social care, setting us on the road to fundamental reform that will build a social care system fit for the future.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the policy paper entitled Better Care Fund policy framework 2025 to 2026, published on 30 January 2025, what plans he has to consult on changes to the maximum Disabled Facilities Grant limit.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In England, we continue to fund the locally administered Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), which helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes. We are providing an immediate in-year uplift of £86 million in 2024/25. This is on top of the £625 million paid to local authorities in May 2024. The Government also announced an £86 million additional investment in the DFG for the 2025/26 financial year at the Budget, bringing the total funding for 2025/26 to £711 million.
To ensure the DFG is as effective as possible, we will continue to keep different aspects of the grant under consideration. As part of this, we are reviewing the suitability of the current upper limit and will set out further detail in due course.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
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 ensure that private parking companies do not overcharge for facilities at hospitals.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service trusts are expected to comply with the NHS car parking guidance 2022 for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts. This guidance states that charges, where they exist, should be reasonable for the area. This applies to all NHS trusts, including those that use private parking companies to operate their hospital car parks.
NHS organisations are responsible for the actions of the private contractors who run car parks on their behalf, and NHS organisations should act against rogue contractors in line with the relevant codes of practice where applicable.
Contracts should not be let on any basis that incentivises additional charges, for example income from parking charge notices only.
All NHS trusts that charge for car parking provide free hospital car parking in England for those most in need. This includes Blue Badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight in hospital, and NHS staff working night shifts. The Department has issued guidance to NHS trusts on the implementation of this commitment.