Committee publication · Correspondence · 15 October 2025
Correspondence from Minister Dalton re First 1000 days evidence session
From: Health and Social Care Committee
Inquiry: The First 1000 Days: a renewed focus
Summary
Parliamentary Under-Secretary Ashley Dalton provides follow-up written evidence to the Health and Social Care Committee's inquiry into the first 1000 days of life. The letter addresses five areas discussed in oral evidence: SEND's role within health systems, perinatal mental health services (noting a 95% increase in access since 2021), waiting list data transparency, voluntary guidelines for sugar and salt reduction in baby foods (18-month implementation period), and expanded pharmacy vaccination access for children and pregnant women.
Key findings
- Perinatal mental health service access reached 64,805 women in 12 months to April 2025, a 95% increase from 33,222 four years earlier; £36.5 million allocated to Family Hubs and Start for Life perinatal mental health support across 75 local authorities.
- Voluntary industry guidelines for reducing salt and sugar in commercial baby foods (up to 36 months) published August 2025 with 18-month deadline for compliance; products will be assessed against criteria in early 2027.
- New Waiting List Minimum Data Set published July 2025 includes demographic data for under-18s, improving transparency of children's waiting times; no current plans for further disaggregation due to data disclosure concerns at granular provider level.
- Vaccination access expanded through community pharmacies: flu vaccination for ages 2–3 available from 1 October 2025; RSV and Pertussis vaccinations for pregnant women available at selected pharmacies (approximately 180 across regions, with 60 more expected in London).
- SEND function to remain within Integrated Care Boards under NHS England's ICB blueprint; government will publish Schools White Paper in Autumn detailing joined-up SEND support across health, education and social care.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Ashley Dalton MP, Paulette Hamilton MP, Health and Social Care Committee, NHS England, Integrated Care Boards, Department for Education, CQC/Ofsted
Notable line
“A record 64,805 women accessed a specialist community perinatal mental health service or maternal health services in the 12 months to April”
Key Quotes
“The Children and Families Act (2014) set out the statutory duties for Integrated Care Boards (ICB) in relation to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities”
“A record 64,805 women accessed a specialist community perinatal mental health service or maternal health services in the 12 months to April 2025. This is a 95% increase from the 33,222 women who accessed the services in the 12 months to April 2021, 4 years previously.”
“We are also building perinatal mental health support through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. This year we are providing £36.5 million for bespoke perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support to 75 local authorities with high levels of deprivation.”
“Businesses have 18 months from publication – so until the end of February 2027 – to deliver the changes required by the guidelines .”
“We are committed to ensuring all patients, including children and young people have timely access to the services they need.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗