We monitor community health services waiting lists for children and young people and hold NHS England to account on actions to reduce waiting times.<\/p>
NHS England has asked local health systems to develop plans to reduce waiting lists for community health services.<\/p>
Recognising the waiting times for speech and language therapy, in September 2023, the Department for Education launched 'Early Language Support for Every Child' (ELSEC), with NHS England. ELSEC is a two-year pathfinder programme funding innovative workforce models to improve early identification and support for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs within early years and primary school settings. ELSEC will take place in nine sites across England, one in each Change Programme Partnership. It is running across two academic years from September 2023 to August 2025.<\/p>
In future more healthcare will be provided in the community, and that is why the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan includes commitments to increase the community workforce, with increases in training places for community nurses and allied health professionals, and a renewed focus on retaining existing staff.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4527", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Helen Whately"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Faversham and Mid Kent"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Helen Whately"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-01-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1678058/answer/previousversion/8840", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4527", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Helen Whately"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Faversham and Mid Kent"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Helen Whately"} } , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-01-12T14:20:43.273Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-12-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Community Health Services: Children"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help reduce waiting times in children\u2019s community health services.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/114", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Tim Loughton"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Worthing and Shoreham"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Tim Loughton"} ], "uin" : "6950"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1307773", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1307773/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
In England, decisions about local fertility services are determined by clinical commissioning groups, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence\u2019s (NICE) fertility guidelines.<\/p>
The NICE guidelines were updated in 2013 to include provision for same sex female couples, who have demonstrated their clinical infertility. The criteria in the guidelines were developed as a way of achieving equivalence between opposite-sex and same-sex couples in establishing clinical infertility and accessing National Health Service fertility treatment services. The guidelines are now due for review and the Department has started discussions with NICE about plans for such a review.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4527", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Helen Whately"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Faversham and Mid Kent"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Helen Whately"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-04-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1307773/answer/previousversion/96523", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4527", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Helen Whately"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Faversham and Mid Kent"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Helen Whately"} } , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-04-20T13:59:14.71Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-04-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "IVF: LGBT+ People"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of giving same sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples to access IVF treatment.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/114", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Tim Loughton"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Worthing and Shoreham"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Tim Loughton"} ], "uin" : "178755"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1302493", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1302493/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), but not staff working in primary care, local authorities or other providers.<\/p>
The number of nurses and health visitors joining hospitals and CCGs between August 2019 and November 2020 was 50,904. This is based on headcount.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4527", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Helen Whately"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Faversham and Mid Kent"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Helen Whately"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-03-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1302493/answer/previousversion/91492", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4527", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Helen Whately"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Faversham and Mid Kent"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Helen Whately"} } , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-03-22T17:35:14.4Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-03-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Nurses: Recruitment"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many nurses have been recruited to the NHS since August 2019.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/114", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Tim Loughton"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Worthing and Shoreham"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Tim Loughton"} ], "uin" : "168815"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1302509", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1302509/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups, excluding staff working in primary care, local authorities or other providers.<\/p>
As at August 2019 there were 287,458 full time equivalent (FTE) nurse and health visitors working in the HCHS workforce, 322,810 headcount.<\/p>
Data for March 2021 is not yet available. In November 2020, the latest period for which data for FTE and headcount is available, there were 307,227 FTE nurse and health visitors working in the National Health Service, or 343,240 headcount.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4527", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Helen Whately"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Faversham and Mid Kent"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Helen Whately"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-03-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1302509/answer/previousversion/91500", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4527", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Helen Whately"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Faversham and Mid Kent"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Helen Whately"} } , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-03-23T11:40:37Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-03-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "NHS: Nurses"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of nurses working in the NHS in (a) August 2019 and (b) March 2021 (i) as full time equivalents and (ii) in total.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/114", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Tim Loughton"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Worthing and Shoreham"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Tim Loughton"} ], "uin" : "168816"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1223918", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1223918/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The data is published on Skills for Care\u2019s website at the following link:<\/p>