Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of research published in Endocrine Connections showing (1) that the UK does not provide information to new parents before discharge from neonatal and delivery units on the necessity of infant vitamin D supplementation; and (2) that the vitamin D supplementation programme in infants is not monitored.

The Government has no such plans. Rickets can generally be prevented by ensuring that children have a healthy, balanced diet, spend some time outside in the sun and take appropriate supplements containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D, which is a widely available supplement. There is already a range of resources available to increase awareness of the need for vitamin D supplements, including advice on the NHS Choices website on the importance of vitamin D for bone health, and supplements are readily available over the counter and through the Healthy Start vitamins scheme.

In August the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence updated its public health guidance on increasing vitamin D supplement use among population groups at risk of vitamin D deficiency, in the light of the 2016 Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition report on Vitamin D and health. A copy of the guidance, Vitamin D: supplement use in specific population groups, is attached. This guideline includes recommendations on how to: increase access to and availability of vitamin D supplements, including for at-risk groups such as the BAME community; ensure health professionals recommend vitamin D supplements; raise awareness of the importance of these supplements amongst the population; and monitor provision and uptake of vitamin D supplements.

Local commissioners will wish to consider how best to take forward these recommendations in respect of local BAME populations. The Government has made no formal assessment of the research referred to.