Oral Answers to Questions

Elsie Blundell Excerpts

Tuesday 20th October 2026 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Mrs Elsie Blundell (Heywood and Middleton North) (Lab)]

1. What recent discussions she has had with the interim leadership of the Northern Care Alliance NHS foundation trust.

[The Minister for Secondary Care (Karin Smyth)]

I absolutely endorse your comments about our colleague, Mr Speaker.

I know that my hon. Friend and many other colleagues are deeply concerned about the issues at Northern Care Alliance. As of June this year, the trust has been placed under the highest level of regional oversight and support from NHS England. It is imperative that rapid movements are made, governance systems are strengthened and that every patient receives the standard of care that they deserve.

[Mrs Blundell]

My constituents are very concerned about Northern Care Alliance hospitals. Across the trust, there were 10 serious incidents between 2025 and 2026 that were found to be wholly preventable, lengthy delays causing severe harm to patients and industrial action, culminating in a sustained decline in performance and national rankings on patient safety. What options are therefore on the table if the trust does not show urgent signs of improvement?

[Karin Smyth]

My hon. Friend rightly highlights on behalf of her constituents the number of issues that have led to this significant regulatory intervention and support. If necessary, further action is available to NHS England and the Care Quality Commission. We want to ensure that the focus now is on supporting and challenging the trust to make the rapid and sustained improvements necessary in those key areas. I know that my hon. Friend and our other colleagues will work closely with the trust on this; I always encourage MPs to work closely with their trust to ensure that that happens. If necessary, other measures will also be available.

Unpaid Carers

Elsie Blundell Excerpts

Thursday 15th October 2026 Westminster Hall

[Mrs Elsie Blundell (Heywood and Middleton North) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Barker, and to see the Minister, my constituency neighbour, in his place. I thank the hon. Member for Mid Sussex (Alison Bennett) for securing this crucial debate.

The debt we owe to our country’s unpaid carers is immense. I thank those across Heywood and Middleton North who often balance their caring commitments with a career, family and other responsibilities and somehow manage to ensure that those they care for can live in comfort and dignity. The difference these people make to those they support can never be fully conveyed, but the onus is on us as parliamentarians to stand beside them as, day in, day out, they make someone else their priority.

There are millions of people across the country who are doing so right now, and the number is growing as our population ages. Undoubtedly, every Member present will know a constituent, friend or family member with caring responsibilities. Being an unpaid carer, though commendable, can be deeply isolating and lonely. It is therefore crucial that when it gets too much, there is a community and a safety net that can provide comfort and support to our constituents.

Earlier in the year, during Carers Week, I met with local carers, staff and volunteers from the Carers’ Hub Rochdale at Queen’s Park in Heywood. They were coming together to meet and support each other—they really are a lovely group of people. I thank Deana, Victoria, Grace, Karen, Sarah and others for their unwavering commitment to the hub and those who rely on it.

At one of the group’s regular coffee and chat sessions, they traded stories that could make you laugh and cry, speaking candidly about their struggles, hopes and fears, the truth behind their lives and the loved ones they care for. There were so many similarities in their experiences that bound them together—a community of local heroes who just need a place to come together and take a breath.

The hub’s support for carers goes even further, offering personalised one-to-one support, wellbeing assessments, support plans, community connections with local services and friendly community groups for the carer and those being cared for. That is alongside respite services, which provide the opportunity for a short break for a night or two, and social events with opportunities to make new skills, as well as online services, a helpline and a pen pal community.

The carers I met back in the summer had some clear priorities for me to raise today, and I hope the Minister will touch on them when he responds to the debate. They felt that the earnings threshold is too rigid, creating cliff edges for working carers, and in many ways does not reflect more nuanced arrangements in relation to their caring responsibilities and their day jobs.

[Mark Sewards (Leeds South West and Morley) (Lab)]

My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech, as has every Member who has spoken today. I represent about 8,000 unpaid carers in Leeds South West and Morley—that is about 9% of my constituents—and it is clear that I need to speak for them. Something that has been missing from the debate is those who criticise the offer of extra help to unpaid carers as a cost to the Treasury and to businesses. Does my hon. Friend agree that the greater cost is the fact that 1.1 million unpaid carers have left work in the last two years because many of them had no choice but to do so?

[Mrs Blundell]

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend; that is a crucial point to make. Many carers are turning down opportunities for advancement and promotion, and that is having a bad effect on the economy as well as themselves. I believe, as do the carers I met recently, that being a carer should not restrict one’s advancement elsewhere. How is the Minister working to ensure that our fantastic carers are encouraged to seize opportunities rather than being dissuaded from doing so?

Another area of focus of my conversation with the group was how we can, and must, work towards a more proactive system to identify and recognise carers. This means NHS trusts having robust and systematic processes for identifying carers, with GP records being properly maintained so that individuals can be identified early, connected to support, and have their own wellbeing needs properly addressed.

I am pleased that young carers are going to be identified quicker and better supported so that they can stay in education without falling behind at school. I am also pleased that schools are to be held accountable in respect of data on young carers’ attendance, alongside secure information sharing across different services. That is critical to ensure that these youngsters do not fall through the cracks or buckle under the weight of their responsibilities at such a pivotal moment. I am pleased that the Government are so receptive to that idea.

Finally, I would like to touch on how we secure high-quality supportive and respite services in every postcode. When carers reach a point where they feel like the walls are closing in—and, in truth, long before they reach that point—flexible respite and replacement care should be available, and should be both reliable and of high quality. Some organisations currently feel they are expected to do more with less with each year that passes. I hope the Minister can speak to that, too.

In closing, I express my sincere thanks to the unpaid carers of Heywood and Middleton North and beyond, without whom the lives of so many people across our communities would be much more difficult. The contribution that these individuals make cannot easily be qualified or quantified, but it can and must be recognised. It is our responsibility to ensure that their voices are heard and that we in turn give them a fraction of the support that they provide to those most in need.

Oral Answers to Questions

Elsie Blundell Excerpts

Tuesday 9th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Kinnock]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right that, as we know, there are areas in the country that are known as dental deserts. We have to fix that. It comes back to the fundamental issue of how we incentivise dentists to do NHS dentistry regardless of where they are in the country. There are particularly acute pressures in constituencies such as the one she so brilliantly represents, and I would be happy to meet her to discuss them further.

[Mrs Elsie Blundell (Heywood and Middleton North) (Lab)]

14. What steps he is taking to improve men’s mental health care provision in the north-west.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Preet Kaur Gill)]

We know that men are less likely to seek mental health support and that suicide rates are higher in men, and we are taking action to address that. Through our men’s health strategy, we have launched a partnership with the Premier League to improve mental health literacy. The suicide prevention support pathfinders programme will invest up to £3.6 million in areas where middle-aged men face the greatest risk of suicide—the north-west being one area with some of the highest rates.

[Mrs Blundell]

I welcome the publication of the men’s health strategy, especially the measures in it designed to improve mental health outcomes. In a report that I recently sent to the ministerial team following an event I held with local charities and mental health service users, it became clear that the recommendations of the strategy need to be implemented quickly. What practical steps are being taken to implement those measures, especially in areas such as mine, where deprivation continues to affect the health of men and boys?

[Preet Kaur Gill]

I warmly welcome my hon. Friend’s report and thank her for all her work on behalf of her constituents. Locally, NHS and council partners are supporting delivery through services such as Thrive, Think Ahead and talking therapies, alongside community initiatives such as Male Health Survivors @ The Dale, and Andy’s Man Club Rochdale, supporting men’s mental health. We also have a mental health call for evidence, which is live until 12 July, seeking practical examples to tangibly improve outcomes and inform our mental health strategy. I would be keen to work with my hon. Friend on what more we can do.

Oral Answers to Questions

Elsie Blundell Excerpts

Tuesday 14th April 2026 Commons Chamber

[Wes Streeting]

The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that we need to see more services moving out of hospital and into the community. That is why I am proud that we are announcing a new wave of community diagnostic centres and expanding lots of existing provision, as well as improving same-day emergency care and urgent treatment centres in hospitals. He has raised the issue of the Melton Mowbray site; I am sure the local commissioners responsible for that will want to look at it, but I also know that I owe him a meeting, so I will follow up with him directly.

[Mrs Elsie Blundell (Heywood and Middleton North) (Lab)]

12. What steps his Department is taking to improve support for people with eating disorders.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Dr Zubir Ahmed)]

We all recognise the devastating impact that eating disorders have on people’s lives, so this Government are committed to going further. Increases in mental health spending, which reaches a record £16.1 billion this year, include funding for eating disorder care. We have also commissioned an independent review to better understand rising prevalence, and the interim report of that review highlights the worrying rise in the prevalence of eating disorders. We look forward to the final report, which will set out recommendations on improving support.

[Mrs Blundell]

Too many people affected by eating disorders are not receiving the help they need—help often comes too late, with serious physical symptoms overlooked or misattributed. It is clear that those on the frontline must have the training they need to identify early warning signs. What further steps are being taken to ensure that people are supported before they reach crisis point, especially in areas such as mine, which were on the receiving end of significant cuts to public services under the Conservative party?

[Dr Ahmed]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for highlighting those cuts and the devastating impact they had, particularly on mental health and eating disorder services. She is absolutely right that we have to do a lot more on the pathways, including harmonising some of the data and clinical coding to make sure that we are catching people early in the process. As I said, the prevalence review will now focus on eating disorders as well—that is a welcome intervention—and of course, children become adults, so we must end the cliff edge at the age of 18 and make sure that care continues in a holistic fashion. We are getting on with that.

Budget Resolutions

Elsie Blundell Excerpts

Tuesday 2nd December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mrs Elsie Blundell (Heywood and Middleton North) (Lab)]

I would like to focus my remarks on how this Budget will deliver enhanced transport connectivity and further devolution, allowing towns like those I represent to grow their way out of the cuts they have been subjected to for over a decade.

Transport connectivity is the difference between our towns and those within them either getting ahead or being left behind. My constituents have long been overlooked when it comes to transport planning and spending, and I was delighted that at the spending review earlier this year, the Greater Manchester city region received over £2.5 billion to plug the gaps there in local connectivity. As a result, it was announced that the tram will now be coming to Heywood, with spades in the ground by 2028 and a commitment from the mayor that he will revisit the business case for extending the Metrolink to Middleton. This is the difference that a Labour Government make with a Labour-led city region.

This Budget went even further. I was delighted to hear last week that, thanks to the discipline and responsiveness of this Chancellor, the northern growth corridor and the trans-Pennine route upgrade will receive the investment they need. That welcome commitment came alongside the decision to freeze rail fares for the first time in 30 years, making progress in ensuring that anyone, no matter where they come from, can get from A to B. I am proud that, through the Bee Network in Greater Manchester, we have been able to keep bus and tram fares as low as possible, and it is important that rail is not left behind. I am delighted that, as Greater Manchester moves to integrate rail lines into the Bee Network, these prices will now be frozen, too.

If we stick to the plan and ensure that devolution is delivered, I envisage a point in the future when my constituents can get into Manchester city centre on safe and reliable public transport and go on to make their journeys to other cities across the north. That is why I am determined to see the promise of this investment delivered upon and swift progress made to connect the north, after the Tories cancelled the northern leg of High Speed 2.

[Tom Hayes (Bournemouth East) (Lab)]

My hon. Friend is making a powerful case for investment into her town and the wider region. Does she agree that this investment is only possible because the economy has been stabilised by a Chancellor who is investing in capital infrastructure to the tune of £120 billion and has attracted around £250 billion of private sector investment, which contrasts sharply with the Conservatives, who raided the capital investment budget for day-to-day spending and deterred that long-term investment from the private sector?

[Mrs Blundell]

I absolutely agree. It is thanks to this Chancellor’s determination to be disciplined that we are able to deliver this investment in Greater Manchester and my constituency.

The people of Greater Manchester are really resilient. Many people try to talk us down, but our city region and our economy are vibrant and dynamic. Looking at this Budget, it is clear to me that this Government recognise our potential and are keen to connect Greater Manchester internally and bind it more closely with those other great cities of Leeds and Liverpool.

[Anna Dixon (Shipley) (Lab)]

I represent a constituency on the other side of the Pennines. Does my hon. Friend agree that this investment in transport in the north, linking across the Pennines to great cities like Leeds and Bradford and delivering on Northern Powerhouse Rail in full, including a station in Bradford, is necessary?

--- Later in debate ---

[Mrs Blundell]

I absolutely agree. This Chancellor recognises that connectivity and ambition are two sides of the same coin. She knows that we do not cut our way to a stronger, more stable economy or a more equal society—we invest our way there.

I wholeheartedly welcome the Budget and its intention to build a better connected and fairer country. It will bring about the change that my constituents deserve, and I look forward to working with colleagues on delivering it.