Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the need for a child health workforce strategy, in the context of the recommendations in the Health and Social Care Committee’s Fifth Report of Session 20
Answer
I refer the Hon Member to the Department’s response to the report in question, which can be found at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-report-the-first-1000-days-a-renewed-focus/government-response-to-the-health-and-social-care-committees-fifth-report-of-session-2024-to-2026-the-first-1000-days-a-renewed-focus#recommendations-and-conclusions The upcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for every patient, including children and young people. The 10-Year Health Plan also committed to a new Professional Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery. It will set a clear direction for the next 10 to 15 years for all nurses, midwives, and nursing associates focused on a new professional approach to education, diverse career development, and setting a renewed focus on professional culture.
Verdict: AMBER (35/100)
The question asked whether a dedicated child health workforce strategy is needed. The reply does not state the Department's view on that point. Instead, it refers to a committee response that may contain the answer and points to forthcoming workforce plans, which cover children only in general terms. The reply gives concrete references, but the person who asked would likely need to submit a follow-up to get a direct answer.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the Department's assessment or view of the need for a child health workforce strategy, in the context of the recommendations in the Health and Social Care Committee's Fifth Report of the session cited? | Partially Addressed | Direct | The reply never states the Department's view on whether a child health workforce strategy is needed; it refers to the committee response (which may contain that view) and points to the forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan and the Nursing and Midwifery strategy, which cover children and young people only in general terms. These are concrete mechanisms, but they substitute broader workforce plans for the child-specific strategy the item asked about. |