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Written Question
Music Therapy
Tuesday 5th December 2017

Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of music therapy as a treatment, and whether he plans to extend its availability on the NHS.

Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has considered the contribution that music therapy can make as a treatment, and has made recommendations relating to its use in a number of clinical guidelines, including those on psychosis and schizophrenia in children and young people, and on supporting people with dementia.


Written Question
General Practitioners: Attendance
Monday 18th September 2017

Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to review the sanctions available to GP practices against patients who repeatedly do not attend appointments.

Answered by Steve Brine

The National Health Service Constitution states that patients are responsible for keeping appointments or cancelling them within a reasonable time. At present there are no sanctions available for general practitioner practices to manage repeated failure to attend appointments. There are no plans at present to review this.


Written Question
Hospitals: Attendance
Monday 18th September 2017

Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of patients who do not attend hospital appointments in each of the last 12 months.

Answered by Philip Dunne

This information is not held centrally.


Written Question
General Practitioners: Students
Monday 11th September 2017

Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has undertaken a cost-benefit analysis of allowing GP practices to fund tuition fees for medical students who would join that practice on qualification.

Answered by Steve Brine

General practitioner practices are independent businesses and as such it would be for them to determine for themselves whether or not they offer such incentives as part of their overall management of their business.


Written Question
Mental Health Services: Out of Area Treatment
Wednesday 13th April 2016

Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Minister for Social Care's oral contribution of 3 December 2015, Official Report, column 608, what progress his Department has made on putting in place a national ambition to reduce the number of adults sent out-of-area for acute inpatient mental health care.

Answered by Alistair Burt

In-line with the recommendations of the Independent Mental Health Taskforce published in February 2016, we have set a national ambition to eliminate inappropriate out of area treatments for adult acute inpatient care as a result of local acute bed pressures by 2020/21 at the latest. To achieve this ambition we expect areas to put in place local action plans and achieve year on year reductions from 2016/17.


Written Question
Baby Care Units
Thursday 12th November 2015

Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many in-patient mother and baby units specialising in caring for women during the perinatal period closed between 2010 and 2015; and how many such units are open.

Answered by Alistair Burt

Between 2010 and 2015, four mother and baby units closed and two opened. In addition the unit located at Basingstoke in 2010 moved to Winchester in 2013. The units now currently open are detailed below.


Mother and Baby units open in 2015


  1. Beadnell Mother and Baby Unit, Morpeth
  2. Leeds Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Mother and Baby Unit
  3. Manchester Mother and Baby Unit
  4. Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Perinatal Psychiatric Services
  5. Derby Mother and Baby Unit, Derby City General
  6. Brockington Mother and Baby Unit, St. George’s Hospital, Stafford
  7. Barberry Mother and Baby Unit, Birmingham
  8. Thumbswood Mother and Baby Unit, Welwyn
  9. Rainbow Mother and Baby Unit, Chelmsford (new unit opened 2013)
  10. Margaret Oates Mother and Baby Unit, Homerton Hospital
  11. Coombe Wood Mother and Baby Unit, Coombe Wood, London
  12. South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Mother and Baby Unit
  13. The New Horizon Mother and Baby Centre, Southmead Hospital, Bristol
  14. Winchester Mother and Baby Unit, Royal Hampshire County Hospital
  15. Florence House Mother and Baby unit, Bournemouth (new unit opened 2013)

Source: NHS England National ERG Report 2015


Written Question
Baby Care Units
Thursday 12th November 2015

Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the names are of the in-patient mother and baby units specialising in caring for women during the perinatal period that were open in 2010.

Answered by Alistair Burt

Mother and Baby Units open in 2010:

  1. Newcastle Beadnell Ward, St George’s Park, Morpeth, Northumberland
  2. Leeds Mother and Baby Unit, Leeds Partnership Foundation Trust
  3. Manchester Anderson Ward, Wythenshawe Hospital
  4. Nottingham Perinatal Psychiatric Services, Perinatal Inpatient Unit
  5. Derby Mother and Baby Psychiatric Unit, Derby City General, Uttoxeter Rd, Derby
  6. Leicester Mother and Baby Unit, Brandon Unit, Leicester General Hospital (closed 2014)
  7. Stafford Brockington Mother and Baby Unit, St George’s Hospital Foundation
  8. Birmingham Mother and Baby Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital
  9. Welwyn Garden Thumbswood, Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Howlands, Welwyn
  10. Hackney Mother and Baby Unit, Mermaid Ward, City and Hackney Centre for Mental Health, Homerton Hospital, Homerton Row
  11. North Middlesex Coombe Wood Perinatal Mental Health Unit, Coombe Wood Annexe, Park Royal Centre for Mental Health
  12. Beckenham Mother and Baby Unit, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Rd, Beckenham, Kent
  13. Bristol New Horizon Mother and Baby Centre, Southmead Hospital
  14. Basingstoke Fairways House, Parklands Hospital (Moved to Winchester in 2013)
  15. The Eastbourne Clinic Mother and Baby Unit, Eastbourne, East Sussex (this unit was open in 2010 but not referenced in report closed 2014)
  16. Mother and Baby Unit, Godden Green Clinic, Godden Green, Sevenoaks, Kent (closed in 2010)
  17. York Mother and Baby Unit, Bootham Park Hospital (closed temporarily in 2010 and remained closed)

Source: National Perinatal Mental Health Project Report 2010

This information updates previous information submitted in relation to the number of mother and baby units open in 2010. Previous answers were drawn from the Specialised Mental Health Services (all ages) Definition No 22 (2009), which states that “there are 10 MBUs in England” but does not include a list of the 10 units.

The updated answer is taken from the 2010 National Perinatal Mental Health Project Report. The Department recommends using the latter as the source of information on services in 2010 as this report provides more detail, specifying the name and location of the units.