Health and Care Reviews, Improvement and Regulation

Karin Smyth Excerpts

Monday 12th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Secondary Care (Karin Smyth)]

I would like to inform the House of several updates from the Department of Health and Social Care, following developments and announcements over the conference recess.

Adult Social Care

The Government are delivering a package of reforms to fulfil the Prime Minister’s commitment to improve the strength and capability of those providing care. This includes plans to appoint the first unpaid carers champion to drive support for the millions of people who provide unpaid care for older or disabled people, and a new social care workforce action plan, to be published later this year, bringing together the steps the Government will take to support that workforce.

As part of the action plan, the Government will work with the care sector to expand sector-based work academy programmes, in order to help more young people and jobseekers access training, work experience and routes into care jobs; and to develop a national collective pension scheme, in order to improve care workers’ retirement outcomes. Alongside the first fair pay agreement, these measures will support recruitment, retention and career development, while laying the foundations for a national care service.

Healthy Babies Programme Expansion

The Healthy Babies programme will be rolled out nationally to every Best Start family hub, extending support based on Sure Start principles during pregnancy and the first two years of life to families in every part of England. Building on delivery in 75 local authorities, Healthy Babies will help parents and carers access joined-up support with infant feeding, parental mental health and forming strong attachments with their baby. The expansion will help all families give their baby the best start in life and lay the foundations for the healthiest generation of children ever.

Violence against Women and Girls

As part of the Government’s overall strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, the Department of Health and Social Care will adopt a public health approach to tackling VAWG, addressing the root causes, emphasising early intervention, and making sure no woman is turned away from the support she needs. A targeted consultation with stakeholders on the development of a national framework to support this approach will be launched. This will start with an investment of up to £34.4 million over three years to support 12 integrated care boards across England in delivering the first phase of a primary care referral pathway called Steps to Safety, which will make sure that women and girls experiencing violence and abuse can access specialist support through their GP. A further £15 million over three years will be invested in local victim support services through all integrated care boards in England.

A national clinical lead for violence against women and girls will also be appointed, combining clinical and public health expertise. They will cover prevention, early identification, partnership working and the health system’s response to victims, survivors and people at risk of harm, including NHS staff.

Independent Review into Mental Health Conditions, Autism and ADHD

The independent review into mental health conditions, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder published its final report on 9 October. It can be viewed online at the link below, and copies will be placed in both Libraries: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-into-mental-health-conditions-adhd-and-autism-final-report

Chaired by Professors Peter Fonagy, Sir Simon Wessely and Gillian Baird, the review found that there has been a substantial rise in mental distress, particularly among children and young people, driven by a range of factors, such as financial pressures, social media and poorer sleep. For ADHD and autism, the review found diagnoses, referrals and waiting lists have risen dramatically. The report concludes that the balance of evidence suggests that underlying population prevalence has remained broadly stable, but it points to the need for more up-to-date population prevalence surveys. The review finds that the current system is overly focused on diagnosis as the gateway to support. The review recommends strengthening prevention, early help, wellbeing support and practical interventions for individuals facing mental distress, without waiting for a diagnosis, as well as improving access to high-quality specialist treatment and care for people with the most severe, complex and enduring needs.

The upcoming cross-Government mental health strategy will respond to the review’s longer-term recommendations, including increasing early intervention and shifting from a diagnosis-led system towards a needs-led system. We will require stronger partnerships with the voluntary and community sector, redesign commissioning arrangements, improve integrated mental health and neurodevelopmental support, and work across Government to address areas where diagnosis is currently the only gateway to support.

In the immediate term, the Government have also announced a comprehensive package of reforms to improve ADHD and autism assessments. We will work to bring all diagnostic assessments under Care Quality Commission regulation, helping to ensure that people receive high-quality, clinically robust assessments regardless of how they access care, and we are also acting on concerns about the advertising of ADHD and autism assessment services. In future, we will ensure that NHS funding is only used for assessments delivered by CQC-registered providers, and will require integrated care boards to improve oversight of commissioned services.

Independent Review into Maternity and Neonatal Services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Terms of reference for the independent review into maternity and neonatal services at the Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust were published on 29 September. The Government worked closely with the review’s Chair, Donna Ockenden, and affected families to finalise the terms of reference, ensuring that families’ experiences and priorities shaped the scope of the review.

The review is due to be published in 2029, and will therefore consider maternity and neonatal care from 1 January 2011 up to and including 31 March 2028, where mothers and babies have suffered severe harm or death while under the care of the trust. Affected families will receive further information about the commencement of case reviews in due course.

Public Inquiry into Mental Health Care at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

His Honour Judge John Potter was appointed chair of the statutory public inquiry into Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS foundation trust on 17 September. The inquiry formally commenced on 21 September 2026. This inquiry has been established to investigate the circumstances and issues surrounding patient deaths associated with Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS foundation trust, and to ensure that lessons are learned to help protect patient safety.

The inquiry’s work will now be a matter for the judge. It is important that the voices of bereaved families, patients and carers are heard throughout the inquiry process, and that they are treated with compassion, dignity and respect.

Over the coming months, the chair will begin establishing the inquiry’s operating arrangements and consulting on its terms of reference. The terms of reference will be announced in due course.

National Cancer Board

Anita Charlesworth has been appointed the National Cancer Board’s independent co-chair, and Dr Robert Metcalf has been appointed national clinical lead for rare cancers. Ashley Ball-Gamble has also been announced as the representative for children and young people’s cancers on the board and Dr Dianne Addei as the representative for inequalities.

The National Cancer Board held its first meeting on 21 September. This meeting brought together senior leaders from the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, as well as external stakeholders and patient representatives, to discuss the progress that had been made on the commitments set out in the national cancer plan.

Government Response to the National Commission into the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

Finally, the Government have issued their formal response to the recommendations made by the national commission into the regulation of AI in healthcare. Through its response, the Government welcome the national commission’s 44 recommendations, accept them in full, and will work with partners to implement them. This reflects the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the UK plays a leading role in using AI effectively and safely to improve health care systems and health research, ensuring that innovation also maintains public confidence.

The response has been prepared as an initial action plan setting out how the Government will take forward the national commission’s recommendations, and will provide stakeholders with certainty regarding direction of travel.

This publication is not the end of the process. It marks the next stage in an ongoing conversation that will support the work of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the wider Government, who will publish a more detailed implementation plan next spring.

[HCWS364]