Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the (a) experiences and (b) interests of (i) children with foetal valproate syndrome and (ii) their families are included in NHS reform.

As part of National Health Service reform, the Department has launched a transformation programme, led by a senior responsible officer. The Department is engaging with partners to ensure their experiences and interests are considered in shaping the future NHS.

The valuable work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and the resulting Hughes Report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, is being considered by the Government. This is a complex area of work, involving several Government departments, and it is important that we get this right. We will be providing an update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report at the earliest opportunity.