Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for a wheelchair-bound patient to access an NHS appointment in (a) Stockport Borough and (b) Greater Manchester in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. We promised change, and we’ve delivered early, with a reduction in the list of over 219,000 pathways from July 2024 to February 2025.
We do not hold data on the average waiting time for a wheelchair-bound patient to access a National Health Service appointment. This patient characteristic is not collected in the data which is used to assess waiting times.
The current waiting list for all patients at the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust currently stands at 35,824 patients waiting, with a median average waiting time of 16 weeks. The current total waiting list for all patients in Greater Manchester stands at 436,509 as of February 2025, with a median average waiting time of 16 weeks.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for an able-bodied patient to access an NHS appointment in (a) Stockport Borough and (b) Greater Manchester in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. We promised change, and we have delivered early, with a reduction in the list of over 219,000 pathways from July 2024 to February 2025.
We do not hold data on the average waiting time for able-bodied patients to access a National Health Service appointment. This patient characteristic is not collected in the data which is used to assess waiting times.
The current waiting list for all patients at the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust currently stands at 35,824 patients, with a median average waiting time of 16 weeks. The current total waiting list for all patients in Greater Manchester stands at 436,509 as of February 2025, with a median average waiting time of 16 weeks.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to update the early years foundation stage statutory framework to include (a) explicit and (b) enforceable safe sleep guidance for children under two in group care settings.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework which all early years providers are required to follow includes a requirement for babies to be placed down to sleep in line with the latest government safety guidance. This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids/.
Ofsted inspects early years settings against the EYFS requirements. Early years providers failing to follow safer sleep practice in line with this guidance would be in breach of the requirements and subject to enforcement action.
The early years qualification requirements and standards document sets out the minimum qualification requirements, including the qualifications criteria at levels 2 and 3, that staff must meet to be recognised as level 2, level 3 or level 6 members of staff for the purpose of working within the EYFS staff:child ratios. This document can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-qualification-requirements-and-standards.
Both the level 2 and level 3 criteria include knowledge of rest and sleep provision, with level 3 also including use of equipment, furniture and materials safely with regard for sleep safety.
In September 2024, the department worked in collaboration with The Lullaby Trust to produce guidance which is available on the Foundation Years platform at: https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/2024/09/safer-sleeping-practices-for-early-years-educators/. This covers a variety of areas including sleeping products which are not suitable for babies, suitable sleeping surfaces for babies and safe use of blankets.