Asked by: Robin Swann (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
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 implications for his policies of Professor Mary Renfrew's report entitled Enabling Safe Quality Midwifery Services and Care In Northern Ireland, published on 22 October 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Improving maternity and neonatal care remains a priority for the Government. Whilst health is a devolved matter, there will be shared challenges and opportunities for improvement, so we are considering the report to help inform our next steps. A formal assessment of the report has not been made to date.
Asked by: Robin Swann (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2024 to Question 10393 on NHS, whether the Health Minister in each devolved Administration is a working level contact.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
An interministerial group meeting is currently being diarised for December 2024. At this meeting, all of the Health Ministers from across the United Kingdom will convene to discuss the 10-Year Health Plan in further detail, including any opportunities for alignment and information sharing across the UK.
Asked by: Robin Swann (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Government issues rallying cry to the nation to help fix NHS, published on 21 October 2024, whether he plans to have discussions with the devolved Administrations on the future of the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Department officials working on the 10-Year Health Plan have had, and will continue to have, meetings with working level contacts in each of the devolved administrations. These conversations will continue to explore how best to identify potential areas of United Kingdom-wide policy alignment, as the plan is developed.