Written questions by Hayes.

Whether he has considered the potential merits of ensuring a job in the NHS for midwifery graduates.

On 11 August 2025, the Government announced the Graduate Guarantee for nurses and midwives. The guarantee will ensure that there are enough positions for every newly qualified midwife in England. The package of measures will unlock thousands of jobs, ensuring thousands of new posts are easier to access by removing barriers for National Health Service trusts, creating opportunities for graduates and enabling a seamless transition from training to employment.Vacant maternity support worker posts will be temporarily converted to Band 5 midwifery roles, backed by £8 million to create new opportunities specifically for newly qualified midwives and to further ease the recruitment strain.These new measures aim to tackle graduates’ concerns about job availability and ensure the NHS has the right staff to provide the best possible care to patients everywhere.

What steps he is taking to help increase opportunities for midwifery graduates to gain employment in the NHS.

On 11 August 2025, the Government announced the Graduate Guarantee for nurses and midwives. The guarantee will ensure that there are enough positions for every newly qualified midwife in England. The package of measures will unlock thousands of jobs, ensuring thousands of new posts are easier to access by removing barriers for National Health Service trusts, creating opportunities for graduates and enabling a seamless transition from training to employment.Vacant maternity support worker posts will be temporarily converted to Band 5 midwifery roles, backed by £8 million to create new opportunities specifically for newly qualified midwives and to further ease the recruitment strain.These new measures aim to tackle graduates’ concerns about job availability and ensure the NHS has the right staff to provide the best possible care to patients everywhere.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of NHS cost recovery.

No formal assessment has been made. However, we continue to work with NHS England to ensure that the system works as effectively and fairly as possible.

How many and what proportion of employed midwives required a work visa in each of the last ten years.

The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold the information requested.However, data published by the Home Office on grants of Health and Social Care Worker visas to midwives shows 606 grants in total during 2023 but a significant reduction in recent quarters. Only 18 grants were issued in the latest data for the three months to June 2025. Data up to March 2024 can be found in the spreadsheet ‘Sponsored work entry clearance visas by occupation and industry (SOC 2010), year ending March 2024’, available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables. Data for the last three quarters can be found in the following spreadsheet ‘Sponsored work entry clearance visas by occupation and industry (SOC 2020), year ending June 2025’, available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables. Not all of those with Health and Social Care visas will be sponsored by NHS providers in England.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the retention rate amongst NHS midwives.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals, including midwives.To support this ambition, the Government plans to introduce a new set of standards for modern employment in April 2026. The new standards will reaffirm our commitment to improving retention by tackling the issues that matter to staff, including promoting flexible working, improving staff health and wellbeing, and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace. They will provide a framework for leaders across the NHS to build a supportive culture that embeds retention.NHS England is already leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.

What estimate he has made of the employment rate amongst midwifery graduates since 1 January 2023.

The Department does not hold the information requested.

What proportion of newly employed midwives secured employment with their preferred NHS trust since 1 January 2023.

The Department does not hold the information requested.

What proportion of newly employed midwives found employment within 20 miles of their home address since 2023.

The Department does not hold the information requested.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the international labour supply of midwives on the (a) training and (b) employment of British midwives.

The Government is committed to developing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join our NHS. Later this year, we will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition—enhancing conditions for all staff, while gradually reducing reliance on international recruitment, without diminishing the value of their contributions.

What steps he is taking to improve staff retention in NHS midwifery services.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals, including midwives.To support this ambition, the Government plans to introduce a new set of standards for modern employment in April 2026. The new standards will reaffirm our commitment to improving retention by tackling the issues that matter to staff, including promoting flexible working, improving staff health and wellbeing, and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace. They will provide a framework for leaders across the NHS to build a supportive culture that embeds retention.NHS England is already leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.

What steps he ia taking to reduce staff sickness absences amongst NHS staff.

NHS England publishes monthly data on sickness absence rates for staff working in the National Health Service. This is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-sickness-absence-ratesHowever, data on the duration of the absence is not available.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, Staff Treatment Hubs will be rolled out to ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health. This will include support for mental health and back conditions which are the main drivers of sickness absence in the NHS.The commitment to Staff Treatment Hubs draws on various evidence sources including the NHS England internal Staff Treatment Access Review which demonstrated the clear productivity and economic argument for investing in the health of our NHS staff, particularly focusing on mental health and musculoskeletal treatment services.We will also work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals, support to work healthily and flexibly, and tackling violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the workplace.

What estimate he has made of levels of long-term sickness amongst NHS maternity service staff.

NHS England publishes monthly data on sickness absence rates for staff working in the National Health Service. This is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-sickness-absence-ratesHowever, data on the duration of the absence is not available.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, Staff Treatment Hubs will be rolled out to ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health. This will include support for mental health and back conditions which are the main drivers of sickness absence in the NHS.The commitment to Staff Treatment Hubs draws on various evidence sources including the NHS England internal Staff Treatment Access Review which demonstrated the clear productivity and economic argument for investing in the health of our NHS staff, particularly focusing on mental health and musculoskeletal treatment services.We will also work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals, support to work healthily and flexibly, and tackling violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the workplace.

What estimate he has made of levels of long-term sickness amongst NHS staff.

NHS England publishes monthly data on sickness absence rates for staff working in the National Health Service. This is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-sickness-absence-ratesHowever, data on the duration of the absence is not available.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, Staff Treatment Hubs will be rolled out to ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health. This will include support for mental health and back conditions which are the main drivers of sickness absence in the NHS.The commitment to Staff Treatment Hubs draws on various evidence sources including the NHS England internal Staff Treatment Access Review which demonstrated the clear productivity and economic argument for investing in the health of our NHS staff, particularly focusing on mental health and musculoskeletal treatment services.We will also work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals, support to work healthily and flexibly, and tackling violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the workplace.

What proportion of midwifery graduates were employed as midwives within 12 months of graduation in the last three years.

The Department does not hold the information requested.

What steps she is taking to ensure that (a) areas of rural poverty and (b) areas with concentrated pockets of deprivation can access new Best Start Family Hubs.

Best Start Family Hubs will prioritise delivery in areas of disadvantage, where families face the greatest barriers to support. The department will fund Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most, especially those from low-income backgrounds or with additional vulnerabilities can access it. These hubs will be open to all families to ensure services are both inclusive and targeted. As of March 2025, there are over 600 Family Hubs across the 88 currently funded local authorities, with up to 1000 hubs expected across the country by the end of 2028.We will provide funding to every local authority in England through the Best Start Family Hubs programme, to make sure that no parent needs to face the challenges of parenthood alone. This will include more funding to local authorities to deliver greater outreach to make sure no one misses out.

How many children from deprived communities will be able to access a new Best Start Family Hub by the end of the Parliament.

Best Start Family Hubs will prioritise delivery in areas of disadvantage, where families face the greatest barriers to support. The department will fund Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most, especially those from low-income backgrounds or with additional vulnerabilities can access it. These hubs will be open to all families to ensure services are both inclusive and targeted. As of March 2025, there are over 600 Family Hubs across the 88 currently funded local authorities, with up to 1000 hubs expected across the country by the end of 2028.We will provide funding to every local authority in England through the Best Start Family Hubs programme, to make sure that no parent needs to face the challenges of parenthood alone. This will include more funding to local authorities to deliver greater outreach to make sure no one misses out.

What steps she is taking to ensure that new Best Start Family Hubs will effectively (a) target and (b) reach out to the most disadvantaged families.

Best Start Family Hubs will prioritise delivery in areas of disadvantage, where families face the greatest barriers to support. The department will fund Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most, especially those from low-income backgrounds or with additional vulnerabilities can access it. These hubs will be open to all families to ensure services are both inclusive and targeted. As of March 2025, there are over 600 Family Hubs across the 88 currently funded local authorities, with up to 1000 hubs expected across the country by the end of 2028.We will provide funding to every local authority in England through the Best Start Family Hubs programme, to make sure that no parent needs to face the challenges of parenthood alone. This will include more funding to local authorities to deliver greater outreach to make sure no one misses out.

Whether she plans to ringfence funding associated with the (a) establishment and (b) operation of new Best Start Family Hubs.

​​Ensuring every child has the best start in life, the chance to achieve and to thrive, is the cornerstone of the government’s Opportunity Mission.The funding mechanism for Best Start Family Hubs will be announced in due course.

How many former Sure Start children’s centres have (a) closed and (b) reduced services so that they no longer meet the statutory criteria of a children’s centre since 2011.

​​Ensuring every child has the best start in life, the chance to achieve and to thrive, are the foundation stones of the government’s Opportunity Mission.Data on the number of Sure Start children’s centres is supplied by local authorities via the department’s Get Information about Schools database portal, which can be accessed here: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.​Based on information supplied by local authorities, 779 children’s centres have closed since 2011. Local authorities have converted a further 686 children’s centres into ‘children’s centre linked sites’. These are formerly children's centres in their own right, but they no longer meet the statutory definition of a children’s centre. They offer some early childhood services on behalf of another children's centre.​These figures are based on information supplied by local authorities as at 2 September 2025. These figures could change again in future, since local authorities may update the database at any time.

Whether she has considered commissioning (a) medium- and (b) long-term studies to monitor the effectiveness of Best Start Family Hubs.

Ensuring every child has the best start in life and the chance to achieve and to thrive are the foundation stones of the government’s Opportunity Mission.Monitoring and evaluation will be a crucial component of the programme from the beginning. Planning is ongoing, but we expect it to include continue robust monitoring and evaluation.