Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of information on birth care choices for expectant parents.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

An assessment of the adequacy of the availability of information on birth care choices for expectant parents has not been made at a national level.

This information is managed by local trusts and must reflect the facilities that are available locally. Information on birth care choices must also be accompanied by personalised advice from a midwife or obstetrician.

It is expected that care is provided in line with national guidelines, such as guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE’s guideline on intrapartum care sets out the standard of intrapartum care, ensuring women and pregnant people receive safe, evidence-based information and support during labour and birth. It emphasises the role of healthcare professionals in supporting informed choice by providing clear information on the full range of birth settings and care options, enabling women to make decisions that reflect their preferences and needs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve the recording of miscarriage in NHS services.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The risk of miscarriage is estimated at 15%, and there are approximately 100,000 to 150,000 miscarriages per year in the United Kingdom. However, due to lack of data on the earliest losses, the true figure could be higher at approximately 250,000 a year.

An update to digital record standards on maternity in March 2025 means that the National Health Service is now able to record the pregnancy outcome for any woman, including miscarriage, where they have been in contact with NHS maternity services.

NHS England is in the early stages of a new project to review the Maternity Services Dataset, and we will carefully consider miscarriage information as part of this work.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support retention within the maternity and neonatal workforce.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.

To support this ambition, the Government plans to introduce a new set of standards for modern employment in April 2026. The new standards will reaffirm our commitment to improving retention by tackling the issues that matter to staff including promoting flexible working, improving staff health and wellbeing, and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace. They will provide a framework for leaders across the NHS to build a supportive culture that embeds retention.

Targeted retention initiatives for nurses and midwives have also been undertaken by NHS England and led by the Chief Nursing Officer, including: the introduction of a nursing and midwifery retention self-assessment tool; a national preceptorship framework; mentoring schemes; and strengthened advice and support on pensions and flexible retirement options.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to address variation in access to NHS-funded IVF treatment between integrated care boards.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues between the Department and NHS England to better understand NHS-funded fertility services and the effectiveness of these services. This work will take time to develop, and the Department is keen to ensure there will be stakeholder engagement during this process, beginning in the new year.

Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their population. We expect ICBs to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.

NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether its current recommendations for access to NHS-funded treatment are still appropriate. A consultation on revised guidelines was published on 10 September and closed on 21 October 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has assessed the factors contributing to variation in intervention rates between NHS trusts.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has made no specific assessment. Local National Health Service commissioners are responsible for planning healthcare services that meet the needs of their respective populations. NHS trust interventions will vary across services and in response to a range of local factors.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the full funding for SME apprenticeships for people under 25 announced in the Budget will cover Level 7 apprenticeships, including architecture.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

As announced at the Budget, the government will fully fund apprenticeships for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for eligible people aged under 25 from the next academic year.

This does not change the policy on level 7 apprenticeships which the government announced in June. From January 2026, the government will no longer fund level 7 apprenticeships except for apprentices under the age of 22, and those under the age of 25 who are care leavers or have an Education, Health and Care Plan. This applies to all employers, including SMEs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish the eligibility criteria for fully funded SME apprenticeships for people under 25.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

As announced at the Budget, the government will fully fund apprenticeships for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for eligible people aged under 25 from the next academic year.

This does not change the policy on level 7 apprenticeships which the government announced in June. From January 2026, the government will no longer fund level 7 apprenticeships except for apprentices under the age of 22, and those under the age of 25 who are care leavers or have an Education, Health and Care Plan. This applies to all employers, including SMEs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Ockenden report, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the progress in delivering the Immediate and Essential Actions; and if he will publish an update on the implementation status of each action within every NHS trust providing maternity care.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The final report of the Ockenden review contained 96 immediate and essential actions (IEAs), some national and some for local implementation. The IEAs contained in the Ockenden review were brought together, alongside other reports and guidance, into NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services. A review of progress against the national actions in April 2025 demonstrated that work has been completed for many actions, but that there have been some challenges, for example in pre-conception care for women with pre-existing medical conditions.

NHS England wrote to all trusts and systems following publication of the review in April 2022, asking them to deliver the recommendations and report to their public boards. The expectation is that local board oversight of progress with implementation should be ongoing. Following discussion, it was agreed that some of the actions should not be universally implemented, for example newly qualified midwives remaining hospital based for one year post-qualifying.

More widely, Baroness Amos is leading a rapid, national, independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services to help us to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has agreed with Baroness Amos that the investigation will publish its final report and recommendations in the spring of 2026, bringing together the findings of past reviews into one clear national set of recommendations.

The Government is also setting up a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The taskforce will take forward the recommendations of the investigation to develop a new national action plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the condition of maternity wards and equipment across NHS trusts.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England’s maternity and neonatal infrastructure review was completed in spring 2024 by all trusts in England that provide maternity and neonatal services. It found various issues with maternity and neonatal service infrastructure, including limited physical space, inadequate capacity for efficient services, and poor building conditions.

However, all trust boards are asked to review their estates data and to seek assurance that all healthcare premises, from which they are delivering maternity and neonatal services, are of appropriate standard. In instances where the estate is not of appropriate standard, trust boards should ensure mitigating action is being taken accordingly.

NHS England is developing a data dashboard to present maternity and neonatal estate survey data. This will enable trusts to capture the latest information on their estates and take action at the local level when required.

The independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, chaired by Baroness Amos, is considering the adequacy of maternity and neonatal infrastructure within its scope.

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 adequacy of provision of independent advocacy services for patients in Wiltshire.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Advocacy services play an important role in helping patients' voices to be heard and in ensuring their legal rights are protected. Guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence indicates that advocacy can provide several benefits, including helping to uphold individuals’ rights, supporting vulnerable individuals, involvement in decision-making, and promoting continuity of care.

There are several different types of patient advocacy services, and it is for local commissioning bodies to plan and commission advocacy services, in line with relevant legislation.

Specifically on complaints advocacy services, whilst National Health Service organisations must have their own complaints procedures, they are not required to provide complaints advocacy services. The legal duty to provide this service rests with local authorities, who are required by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to make arrangements for the provision of independent advocacy services in their area. Each year the Government provides approximately £15 million of grant funding to local authorities towards this service.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what geographic barriers there are to accessing independent advocacy services for patients in rural areas, including Wiltshire; and what steps he is taking to help tackle those barriers.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Advocacy services play an important role in helping patients' voices to be heard and in ensuring their legal rights are protected. Guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence indicates that advocacy can provide several benefits, including helping to uphold individuals’ rights, supporting vulnerable individuals, involvement in decision-making, and promoting continuity of care.

There are several different types of patient advocacy services, and it is for local commissioning bodies to plan and commission advocacy services, in line with relevant legislation.

Specifically on complaints advocacy services, whilst National Health Service organisations must have their own complaints procedures, they are not required to provide complaints advocacy services. The legal duty to provide this service rests with local authorities, who are required by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to make arrangements for the provision of independent advocacy services in their area. Each year the Government provides approximately £15 million of grant funding to local authorities towards this service.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what requirements are placed on NHS trusts and integrated care boards on the publication of independent NHS complaints advocacy services to patients, including in Wiltshire.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Advocacy services play an important role in helping patients' voices to be heard and in ensuring their legal rights are protected. Guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence indicates that advocacy can provide several benefits, including helping to uphold individuals’ rights, supporting vulnerable individuals, involvement in decision-making, and promoting continuity of care.

There are several different types of patient advocacy services, and it is for local commissioning bodies to plan and commission advocacy services, in line with relevant legislation.

Specifically on complaints advocacy services, whilst National Health Service organisations must have their own complaints procedures, they are not required to provide complaints advocacy services. The legal duty to provide this service rests with local authorities, who are required by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to make arrangements for the provision of independent advocacy services in their area. Each year the Government provides approximately £15 million of grant funding to local authorities towards this service.

Homelessness in Wiltshire

Valporate report

Winter NHS corridor care

Found: Mid Derbyshire) Carla Denyer (Green Party; Bristol Central) Barry Gardiner (Labour; Brent West) Sarah Gibson

Found: Environmental Audit Committee members present: Jonathan Davies; Carla Denyer; Barry Gardiner; Sarah Gibson

Found: meeting Members present: Mr Toby Perkins (Chair); Julia Buckley; Jonathon Davies; Barry Gardiner; Sarah Gibson

Found: meeting Members present: Mr Toby Perkins (Chair); Julia Buckley; Jonathon Davies; Barry Gardiner; Sarah Gibson

Found: meeting Members present: Mr Toby Perkins (Chair); Julia Buckley; Jonathon Davies; Barry Gardiner; Sarah Gibson