Women’s Health Strategy

Debate between Mohammad Yasin and Karin Smyth

Thursday 30th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Karin Smyth]

I will try to be brief, but this is hard to explain—[Interruption.] No, this is to answer the right hon. Gentleman. Targets in the NHS have not been met since 2015, which was under his Government’s watch but, actually, this target has been met—there are only three places in the country that do not have a hub—so there is no target for them because that has already been met. The issue now is to look at the outcomes from those hubs to see how they are performing. We think, and the system thinks, that they do a good job. That is why they are staying, why we are committed to them, and why we want to learn from them.

[Mohammad Yasin (Bedford) (Lab)]

Bedford hospital once had a gold-standard home-birth service, but in recent months it has been run down within the wider trust due to unfilled vacancies. Many of my constituents are concerned at the prospect of losing that service, which puts women’s needs and health choices first. Will the women’s health strategy ensure that women can access a consistent midwifery service that provides genuine choice for safe home births?

[Karin Smyth]

My hon. Friend makes an excellent point about maternity services, which are inconsistent and not good enough around the country. It is a source of great alarm for many people. Maternity absolutely remains a high priority within the overall women’s health strategy.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Mohammad Yasin and Karin Smyth

Tuesday 7th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mohammad Yasin (Bedford) (Lab)]

T8. The East of England ambulance service NHS trust remains at the highest escalation level—level 4—as call handlers in Bedford remain under immense pressure after responding to 39,000 calls between Christmas and new year. Despite the unprecedented demand, the trust is considering closing the Bedford emergency operation centre, putting nearly 200 jobs at risk. Given that resources are already stretched to the limit in Bedford, does the Secretary of State agree that we must keep experienced staff who have helped to save countless lives in the region?

[The Minister for Secondary Care (Karin Smyth)]

My hon. Friend is right to highlight the particular problems in his constituency. Decisions on the configuration of call centres are a matter for local trusts in consultation with staff and representatives, and I encourage him to continue to engage with the trust in the interests of his constituents.