Tag: Department of Health and Social Care

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 18 August 2023.

Government plans to modernise and reform primary care progress as more than one thousand general practices sign up for digital upgrades.

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 16 August 2023.

No action is currently needed from patients. No one should stop taking valproate without advice from their healthcare professional.

As part of our ongoing monitoring of valproate safety, we continue to rigorously review all emerging data on valproate. This includes a new study on outcomes in children whose fathers took valproate at the time of conception commissioned by the European Medicines Agency.

Sanofi, the brand leader company, has recently informed us of errors in the study that may impact the results. As a result, the researchers from the original study are conducting a full re-analysis before any final conclusions can be drawn.

The government’s expert scientific body, the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM), has advised that further guidance in respect of risks in children of men taking valproate should be based upon data that are accurate and complete.  As soon as the revised study analysis is available, it will be carefully re-assessed by the MHRA. Any further guidance will be communicated to patients and healthcare professionals as soon as possible.

In December 2022, in light of data showing ongoing exposure to valproate in pregnancy, as well as growing information about potential risks in male patients from preclinical studies and data on infertility, the CHM recommended strengthened safety measures for valproate. The implementation of these new measures has been carefully considered by the CHM’s Valproate Implementation Group.

Further communications on the new safety measures will be issued in due course.

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 16 August 2023.

Up to £210 million of funding to partner with countries across Asia and Africa to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and reduce the threat posed to the UK.

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 15 August 2023.

Funding aims to relieve pressures on hospitals and help cut waiting lists, one of the government’s top 5 priorities.

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 14 August 2023.

Government seeks views on adding pack inserts to tobacco products to encourage smokers to quit.

• Pack inserts are used internationally including in Canada and Israel, and proven to encourage people to give up smoking
• Initial report on the major conditions strategy to be published today

The government will seek views on adding pack inserts into tobacco products to encourage more smokers to quit as it launches a new consultation today.

Placed inside the packaging of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco, they would contain positive messages to encourage people to quit and signpost them to advice and support. The messages set out the health benefits of quitting – for example, improvements to breathing within a matter of days and a 50% reduction in the risk of heart attack within a year – as well as showing smokers how much money they stand to save by giving up, with the average person likely to save over £2,000 per year if they quit.

Smoking remains the single leading preventable cause of illness and mortality in the UK. It results in nearly 4% of all hospital admissions each year – equivalent to almost 450,000 admissions. Tobacco-related harms are also estimated to cost taxpayers an estimated £21 billion every year, including over £2 billion in costs to the NHS.

Although smoking rates in the UK are at an all-time low, by taking further action, the government will seek to cut waiting lists and reduce the burden on the NHS. Introducing pack inserts into all tobacco products in the UK could lead to an additional 30,000 smokers giving up their habit – delivering health benefits worth £1.6 billion.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:

Smoking places a huge burden on the NHS, economy and individuals. It directly causes a whole host of health problems – including cancers and cardiovascular disease – and costs the economy billions every year in lost productivity.

By taking action to reduce smoking rates and pursuing our ambition to be smokefree by 2030, we will reduce the pressure on the NHS and help people to live healthier lives.

The consultation – which opens today (14 August 2023) – will seek views on the introduction and design of pack inserts.

Pack inserts are already used in other countries – including Canada and Israel, with Australia also announcing its intention to introduce them – and there is evidence that they can be an effective means of encouraging smokers to quit. An evaluation of the policy’s impact in Canada found that almost 1 in 3 smokers had read the inserts at least once in the past month, and that those who were exposed to the inserts multiple times were significantly more likely to try to give up smoking.

The consultation builds on a recent package of measures designed to drive the government’s ambition to be smokefree by 2030 – which means reducing smoking rates to 5% or less.

These measures include:

• funding a new national ‘swap to stop’ scheme – the first of its kind in the world – to offer a million smokers across England a free vaping starter kit, alongside expert support
• launching a financial incentive scheme – in the form of vouchers alongside behavioural support – to support pregnant women to stop smoking, with an aim to reach all pregnant smokers by the end of next year
• a new strategy to combat illicit tobacco, which will outline efforts to catch and punish those involved in the illegal market

Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said:

Smoking is very addictive, and it takes smokers on average 30 attempts before they succeed in stopping, so encouraging them to keep on trying is vital.

Pack inserts do this by backing up the grim messages about death and disease on the outside with the best advice about how to quit on the inside.

They will help deliver not just the smokefree 2030 ambition, but also the major conditions strategy, as smoking is responsible for all 6 major conditions from cancer to cardiovascular and respiratory disease, as well as dementia, mental ill health and musculoskeletal disorders.

The consultation launch comes as the government publishes an initial report on its major conditions strategy – which covers the 6 groups of conditions accounting for 60% of all ill-health and early death in England.

One in 4 people in England live with 2 or more major long-term conditions, and the initial report sets out the direction for the strategy to tackle these groups of conditions – cancers, cardiovascular diseases (including stroke and diabetes), musculoskeletal disorders, mental ill health, dementia and chronic respiratory conditions.

This includes by addressing key risk factors and lifestyle drivers of ill-health and disease, including smoking, which is a direct contributor to all 6 groups of conditions covered by the strategy. For example, it is the biggest cause of cancer, with one in every 5 cancer deaths in England connected to smoking.

A world leader in reducing smoking rates, UK levels are currently at their lowest on record at 13.3%. But across the UK, 1 in 7 adults still smoke – around 6.6 million people – and the impacts on the NHS and economy are significant.

Tobacco also costs the economy in England an estimated £14 billion in lost productivity every year, due to lost earnings, unemployment and early deaths. The average smoker stands to save approximately £2,000 per year from giving up their habit.

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 13 August 2023.

The UK Health and Social Care Secretary has invited the devolved administration for talks to discuss lessons learnt and tackle waiting lists across the UK.

The UK Government Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay has written to the devolved administrations inviting them for talks about how all parts of the UK can work together to tackle long-term waiting lists in all parts of the UK.

NHS services across the UK are a devolved matter, but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made cutting waiting lists a priority across the UK. Although approaches taken across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland share many common features, significant variations in outcomes exist. In Wales, more than 73,000 people are waiting over 77 weeks for treatment, and at least 21,600 people are waiting over 78 weeks for an outpatient, day case or inpatient appointment in Scotland. In England, waiting times for patients over 78 weeks have been virtually eliminated.

The Secretary of State is inviting health ministers from the devolved administrations to discuss what lessons can be learnt from the different approaches taken. In England for example, NHS patients are offered a choice of provider at GP referral – NHS or independent sector – provided that it meets NHS costs and standards. And from October we will proactively notify patients waiting over 40 weeks for treatment of their right to choose to be treated elsewhere.

In his letter, the Secretary of State writes that he would be open to requests from the devolved administrations to allow patients in Wales and Scotland who are waiting for lengthy periods to choose to be treated at providers in England, NHS or independent sector – building on the current arrangements for cross-border healthcare.

The Secretary of State has also asked UK health ministers to discuss how health data can be made more comparable across the UK. Northern Ireland official counterparts have also been invited to the ministerial meeting.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:

I hugely value being able to share knowledge and experiences on the joint challenges facing our healthcare systems. I want to support collaboration between our nations to share best practices, improve transparency and provide better accountability for patients.

This will help to ensure we are joined up when it comes to cutting waiting lists – one of the government’s top five priorities – and will allow us to better work together to improve performance and get patients seen more quickly.

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 10 August 2023.

Health Minister visits schemes across East of England which have been prioritised for rebuilding by 2030 due to significant amounts of RAAC.

• Patients and staff to benefit from safer facilities as well as modern, standardised hospital designs and state of the art technology
• New Hospital Programme now expected to be backed by over £20 billion of investment in hospital infrastructure, with 7 new hospital schemes in the East of England

This week Health Minister Lord Markham visited 3 hospitals across the East of England, which have all been prioritised to be rebuilt by 2030 due to the significant amount of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in the hospitals. Forming part of a summer tour, his visits saw him discuss the government’s plans to build 40 new hospitals across England by 2030 with staff, patients and local leaders.

Beginning at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, Lord Markham saw first-hand how over £11 million has already been spent preparing the site ready for construction, and the development of its business case. He spoke to the trust’s management team, local councillors staff and patients to discuss the benefits of the new hospital, particularly after timelines for rebuilding were brought forward due to the risks posed by the RAAC. This means construction will begin as soon as possible and will be completed by 2030.

Lord Markham also travelled to King’s Lynn to discuss the rebuild of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Rebuilding these facilities will not only ensure they’re fit for the future but will also improve the lives and safety of both staff and local patients in West and North Norfolk who use the buildings. The trust has already been allocated nearly £80 million since 2021 for works to mitigate and minimise the risk of RAAC on patient and staff safety, including propping. As part of the New Hospital Programme, fast progress is already being made with planning permission granted for a car park at the site.

Finally, the Health Minister visited Hinchingbrooke Hospital  near Huntingdon, to discuss its plans for the new hospital after it was also included as one of new five hospitals that have been identified as requiring a full rebuild due to the presence of RAAC. Having already been given over £43 million of funding on works to mitigate the impact and risks it poses to patient and staff safety since 2021, Lord Markham met with local representatives, and staff and patients to hear their views on what’s needed in the new hospital.

The three hospitals are all in their strategic outline case phase – this means they are planning the content and structure of the proposed new hospital plans which will then be reviewed by ministers to ensure they meets the needs of staff and patients and provide value for money for taxpayers.

In total, 7 new hospitals will be built in the East of England by 2030 and the government recently confirmed for the first time that the New Hospital Programme is expected to be backed by over £20 billion of investment in infrastructure.

Separately through wider capital funding, the James Paget hospital is also receiving £17 million of government funding to build a new Orthopaedic elective Hub. The Hub will be completed next summer and will have 2 operating theatres, a post-surgery recovery area and four patients bays. It’ll also be open 7 days a week and provide 1,400 extra theatre sessions per year.

Health Minister Lord Markham said:

We are investing in new NHS facilities across the country so patients can access high quality care in state-of-the-art hospitals, both now and in the years to come.

The East of England will benefit from seven new hospitals by 2030 and this week I’ve been visiting some of the sites which will be prioritised due to the presence of RAAC. I’ve enjoyed speaking to patient, staff and local leaders across the region about the plans and progress These which will help to improve safety as well as care and allow patients to be seen more quickly. This is a fundamental part of our plan to cut waiting lists – one of the government’s top five priorities.

In the long term, our new standardised design means we can rapidly replicate new hospitals across the country, helping to speed up construction and deliver on our commitment of 40 new hospitals by 2030.

Across the region, staff shared their experiences and discussed how the new hospitals will support the transformation of healthcare in the East of England by improving the patient experience with new, high-quality environments as well as improving clinical outcomes with modern theatres, wards, and diagnostic facilities to help cut waiting lists.

Making use of the latest technology, the new hospitals will have digital solutions included at the design stage which will help to reduce staff workloads and support working from any location, whilst improving the patient experience. The hospitals will also have ‘smart buildings’, which will collect and process data to optimise energy usage and contribute to the NHS’s sustainability goals.

By developing a national approach to delivering new hospitals, known as Hospital 2.0, they can be built more quickly and at a reduced cost, providing value for taxpayers. Patients and staff will benefit from a modern hospital design making use of the latest technology, digital innovation and sustainability to improve overall patient experience and provide a better working environment for staff. This will also put the NHS on a sustainable footing for the future.

Backed by increased staff with the first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, we will deliver the biggest training expansion in NHS history and recruit and retain hundreds of thousands more staff over the next 15 years. This will be supported by over £2.4 billion in government funding.

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 10 August 2023.

Interim delivery plan outlines 21 actions to improve understanding, research and care for those living with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 4 August 2023.

Thirteen new community diagnostic centres are opening across the country to deliver more than 742,000 additional scans, tests and checks a year.

• The Elective Recovery Taskforce – formed last year to identify ways to cut waiting times – publishes plan to maximise independent sector capacity to treat NHS patients more quickly
• Measures include better use of data to help the NHS identify potential opportunities for the independent sector to support patient care, and expanding training opportunities for staff

Thirteen new community diagnostic centres (CDCs) – including 8 independently run CDCs – are being launched across the country as part of government plans to use the independent sector to cut NHS waiting lists, Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay will announce today.

Five of these independent sector-led CDCs will operate in the South West of England, with permanent sites fully opening in 2024 in Redruth, Bristol, Torbay, Yeovil and Weston-super-Mare. Additional diagnostic testing capacity is already being rolled out in the region via the use of mobile diagnostic facilities, to provide additional diagnostic services while these sites are constructed.

Three others will open in Southend, Northampton and South Birmingham – with the former commencing activity from November and the latter 2 from December. These independently run CDCs will help to make it easier for patients to receive checks closer to home and will remain free at the point of use for patients. This adds to the 4 CDCs run by the independent sector that are already operational in Brighton, North Solihull, Oxford and Salford.

Five more NHS-run centres will also open across the country, delivering on our ambition to open up to 160 across the country by 2025, backed by £2.3 billion. These will be in Hornchurch, Skegness, Lincoln, Nottingham and Stoke-on-Trent.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, said:

We must use every available resource to deliver life-saving checks to ease pressure on the NHS.

By making use of the available capacity in the independent sector, and enabling patients to access this diagnostic capacity free at the point of need, we can offer patients a wider choice of venues to receive treatment and in doing so diagnose major illnesses quicker and start treatments sooner.

The Elective Recovery Taskforce has identified additional diagnostic capacity that is available in the independent sector which we will now use more widely to enable patients to access the care they need quicker.

As well as being more convenient for patients, CDCs drive efficiency across the NHS by shielding elective diagnostic services from wider hospital pressures.

The government has also set out a range of new measures to unlock spare capacity within the independent healthcare sector. This comes following actions from the Elective Recovery Taskforce which was established last December. Chaired by Health Minister Will Quince and made up of academics and experts from the NHS and independent sector, the taskforce looked for ways to go further to bust the COVID-19 backlogs and reduce waiting times for patients.

The measures include a commitment to using data on independent sector providers to identify where they have capacity to take on more NHS patients to help clear the backlog and increasing the use of the independent sector in training junior NHS staff.

These 13 new CDCs will provide capacity for more than 742,000 extra tests a year once all are fully operational, bolstering access to care.

Independent sector led centres will function like NHS-run CDCs, but staff will be employed by the independent sector, which also owns the buildings. The South West network will be run by InHealth, a specialist provider of diagnostic tests which has worked with hospitals and commissioners across the health service for more than 30 years. By utilising independent sector staff, the NHS will be able to keep pace with rising demand in the region and deliver a high number of tests for patients.

There are currently 114 CDCs open across the country, which have delivered an additional 4.6 million tests, checks and scans since July 2021. Alongside this, significant progress has already been made to cut waiting lists, with 18-month and 2-year waits virtually eliminated.

Health Minister and Elective Recovery Taskforce Chair, Will Quince, said:

We have already made significant progress in bringing down waiting lists, with 18 month waits virtually eliminated.

I chaired the Elective Recovery Taskforce to turbocharge these efforts and help patients get the treatment they need.

These actions will bolster capacity across the country and give patients more choice over where and when they are treated.

The taskforce aims to form strong local relationships between NHS organisations and the independent sector. This will help to support improved training opportunities for junior doctors through first-hand experience of procedures. This follows the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan which will deliver the biggest training expansion in NHS history and recruit and retain hundreds of thousands more staff over the next 15 years.

The department has also published its response to a consultation on a new procurement system known as the Provider Selection Regime, which will give commissioners of healthcare services more flexibility when selecting NHS and independent sector healthcare providers. This is intended to remove unnecessary levels of competitive tendering and barriers to integrating care, which will help to promote collaboration across the NHS and wider healthcare system.

NHS England will evaluate the independent sector’s impact on healthcare capacity and has already begun publishing regular monthly data on independent sector use, showing its contribution to tackling the backlog.

NHS England National Clinical Director for Elective Care, Stella Vig, said:

Hardworking staff across the NHS have made significant progress towards recovering elective care, and it is testament to their efforts that widespread innovative measures are already being rolled out to transform our services and bring down the longest waits for patients.

Alongside this, we have increased our use of the independent sector by more than a third since April 2021 – carrying out 90,000 appointments and procedures every week, including more than 10,000 diagnostic tests – and independent providers will continue to play a key role as we work towards the next milestone in our recovery plan, as well as the additional one stop shops announced today as part of NHS England’s rollout of community diagnostic centres.

As this report details, we have already made significant progress in this area, including operating mutual aid systems across both the NHS and independent sector, and by expanding My Planned Care to make it easier for patients to choose where they receive care.

David Hare, Chief Executive of Independent Healthcare Providers Network, who sat on the taskforce, said:

The publication of this report is good news for patients. This is a real, significant step forward to unlocking more of the capital, capacity and capability of the independent sector.

Today’s report builds on the Prime Minister’s recent welcome announcements about how the government is committed to providing patients with better choice over who provides their NHS care, as well as positive changes in how services are procured, which can help add overall capacity and speed up waiting times for NHS patients.

The report’s commitment to open further independent sector-led community diagnostic centres is also good news for patients, deploying some of the private capital that is available to build new facilities and to help ensure that more NHS patients can get the tests and scans that they need.

Rachel Power, Chief Executive of the Patients Association, said:

We are advocates of patients having choice and welcome today’s announcement. In particular, the news that GPs will tell patients, at the point of referral, of options for treatment other than the local hospital or clinic.

Patients in England already have a right to choose where they are treated but not all patients are aware of this right or exercise it. Our expectation is that once GPs offer patients a choice of where to receive treatment, more and more patients will choose to travel further to receive treatment if that means shorter waits.

Justin Ash, CEO of Spire Healthcare, said:

The best way to cut waiting times for patients is for the independent sector to be fully integrated as part of the solution, and to offer patient choice. We welcome the Elective Recovery Taskforce’s recognition of this and are pleased that it has recommended some bold and far-reaching steps to encourage collaboration, promote patient choice and engage the independent sector to help deliver the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

The taskforce’s work will genuinely benefit patients, who’ll be able to choose where they can receive treatment most quickly, regardless of whether that’s at an NHS or an independent sector hospital.

This builds on previous work to give patients greater choice. At the point of referral (for example, at a GP appointment), patients will be actively offered a list of providers which are clinically appropriate for their condition. This will be a minimum of 5 providers where possible. And by October 2023, all patients waiting over 40 weeks who have not had a first outpatient appointment booked or where a decision to treat has been made but the patient does not have a date for their treatment will be able to initiate a request to transfer to another provider and receive treatment more quickly.

Last month, the Health and Social Care Secretary also convened ministers, clinical leaders and health experts for the NHS Recovery Summit to collaborate and drive forward ideas to help cut waiting lists and improve care for patients.

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 22 July 2023.

A year on from its Women’s Health Strategy, the government has announced a package of new measures to boost the health and wellbeing of women and girls.

• First ever dedicated area for women and girls on NHS website, including new content on adenomyosis, periods and HRT
• Support for bereaved parents who have experienced pregnancy loss, with voluntary certificates and work to provide appropriate 24/7 care
• £25 million distributed nationwide to help create women’s health hubs

A year on from its flagship Women’s Health Strategy, the government is today announcing a significant package of new measures to boost the health and wellbeing of women and girls. A raft of actions are also being taken to support women and their families through the unbearable and devastating impacts of pregnancy loss.

Hundreds of thousands of women have already directly benefited from the strategy and, building on its success, the government has announced the launch of a women’s health area on the NHS website. To support women’s health at every stage of their lives, the new dedicated area will bring together over 100 topics on women’s health. It will sit alongside a brand new hormone replacement therapy (HRT) hub on the site, and will enable women and girls of all ages to access important information about their health easily. It will provide information for women on a range of health issues including periods, gynaecological conditions, fertility, pregnancy, heart health and cancers.

Acknowledging the work of BBC presenter Naga Munchetty and patient groups to raise awareness of the condition, the government has also ensured the NHS website now contains a page specifically on adenomyosis (which causes heavy or painful periods) – including information about symptoms and the treatment currently available.

The brand new hub for HRT has been launched on the NHS website to help women manage menopausal symptoms and it will also help those who need it to easily find information on different types of HRT and decide which medicine is most suited to them.

Alongside the new website, to further boost women’s and girls’ health and wellbeing, the government has announced:

• the development of a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool to identify early risks in maternity units. The government will host an event where clinicians and data scientists will collaborate to harness the power of AI to analyse vast amounts of data, helping to identify any concerning trends in maternity units
• £25 million will be distributed across England so every area can create a women’s health hub, with each integrated care board (ICB) set to receive £595,000 to meet local women’s health and wellbeing needs
• greater IVF transparency through an accessible new tool on GOV.UK to allow people to look up information about NHS-funded IVF treatment in their area
• the Women’s Health Ambassador for England, Professor Dame Lesley Regan, has formed a new network of women’s health champions – made up of senior leadership in every local care system and co-chaired with NHS England – who will use their leadership and experience to drive forward wider work to improve women’s health.

Minister for Women’s Health Maria Caulfield said:

A year on from the launch of our women’s health strategy, we have much progress to celebrate. Over 300,000 more women have accessed cheaper HRT, new women’s health hubs are popping up across the country and we’re adding a dedicated women’s health area to the NHS website. But there is plenty more to do.

Our work continues to support women through the agony of pregnancy loss. I’d like to thank all the brave and inspiring women who have campaigned tirelessly for change as well as the review leads Zoe Clark-Coates and Samantha Collinge, who carried out this really important review.

We will keep working and investing so girls and women across the country can benefit from the world-class healthcare they deserve.

The government has listened to women who have campaigned for greater action on pregnancy loss and will now go further to help them tackle the heartbreak, pain and devastation that it can cause.

In response to the independent Pregnancy Loss Review – carried out by Zoe Clark-Coates MBE (founder and CEO of The Mariposa Trust) and Samantha Collinge (Lead Bereavement Midwife at the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust) – into the care and support available to women when baby loss occurs before 24 weeks gestation, the government is taking action to support women and their families and to help them through the trauma of such an experience.

Review leads will continue to work with the government as it implements the recommendations.

A voluntary pregnancy loss certificate will be available to parents from Baby Loss Awareness Week (9 to 15 October 2023) to help parents through their pain and provide a form of comfort and acknowledgement. Given the importance of them feeling comfortable and respected over this summer, the certificate will be tested with 1,000 bereaved families who will be able to advise government on the application process. Those involved with testing this summer will be able to receive a certificate themselves.

The government is focused on ensuring that bereaved parents feel able to navigate the complexities of the healthcare system and will put an emphasis on supporting them through their grief, recognising their loss, acknowledging their pain and ensuring they feel heard.

Extensive work will also begin to explore more sensitive processes for women who experience the tragedy of pregnancy loss in their own home, at weekends or late in the evening. Finding somewhere to safely and respectfully keep fetal tissue should not add to an already difficult time.

NHS England will carry out an important review into the current provision of cold storage facilities at early pregnancy assessment units and A&E services. This will help government understand the level of funding needed to ensure women have 24/7 access to these units, so they aren’t expected to use their own refrigerators if they don’t want to, but have access to cold storage and clinical resources – even if it’s a weekend or evening.

Parents, clinicians and relevant design experts will also work together at speed to create a bespoke holder for storage and safekeeping that can be used by women and families when such tragic loss occurs. This will ensure the tissue can be placed and kept in something with due dignity and respect. The Human Tissue Authority will make any necessary updates to its guidance on the proper and respectful disposal of pregnancy tissue by March 2024.

Recurring miscarriage and pregnancy loss can also have a devastating impact. To ensure as few women as possible have to experience this heart-rending pain more than once, the charity Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage Research at Birmingham Women and Children’s Hospital will now launch a 3-month pilot exploring a ‘graded model’ of miscarriage care. Women will receive testing and advice following a first, second or third miscarriage, so they can identify any medical conditions they may have, help prevent further loss, and inform other women. The government will evaluate the outcomes of the pilot at the end of this year.

Zoe Clark-Coates MBE BCAh, founder and CEO The Mariposa Trust, and co-chair of the Pregnancy Loss Review said:

Over the past 5 years, it has been my honour to co-chair and write the Pregnancy Loss Review. The 73 recommendations that Sam and I have submitted within the review offer a real opportunity to revolutionise baby loss care in England. My passion and long-term commitment is to help all bereaved families, and by the implementation of these recommendations, I believe we will make great strides in addressing the disparities in the care, support, education and training that currently exist.

I would like to thank the minister and government for their swift response, support and commitment to action all the recommendations over the short, medium and long-term. Change is not going to happen overnight, but I am reassured that there is the desire and commitment to provide compassionate care and clinical excellence.

I look forward to assisting the health minister with the implementation of the recommendations over the coming months and years, and ensuring that the work of this review, and the spirit of the recommendations are upheld.

Samantha Collinge, Bereavement Lead Midwife, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust and co-chair of the Pregnancy Loss Review said:

The Pregnancy Loss Review and its recommendations offer a real opportunity to radically improve the care experience of parents and their families experiencing baby loss and I feel enormously privileged to have been able to co-lead this piece of work.

I would like to pay tribute to the courage of the bereaved parents who so freely shared with us their often harrowing stories of loss through their own desire to see and bring about change.

Similarly, Zoe and I are indebted to the countless passionate and dedicated healthcare professionals, organisations and charities who sacrifice their own psychological wellbeing on a daily basis in working with and striving to improve care for families experiencing baby loss.

I look forward to working with the government to drive these recommendations forward and ensure that that this vital learning from families and care providers is suitably implemented.

Professor Dame Lesley Regan, Women’s Health Ambassador said:

A huge amount has been achieved in the strategy’s first year – from developing tools, identifying funding, piloting local health hubs, prioritising information on the NHS website and improving access to HRT – together we are making a real difference to the lives of so many women.

This is just the beginning, and every conversation about women’s health is a step towards closing the gender health gap.

The enthusiasm of all those involved makes it clear that everyone wants to get this right for women and girls, and I look forward to continuing to drive this forward in the coming years.

Charlotte McArdle, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England, said:

For too long, too many women’s pain has been misunderstood or downplayed and the NHS is committed to finding new ways to ensure their health is prioritised.

Today, we will launch a new dedicated online health microsite, which brings all information on the NHS website about women’s health into one place, making it as easy as possible to access the latest advice.

New pages about adenomyosis and HRT have also been added to the NHS website to provide women with information on both issues, and we’ll continue to make updates to other content in the future to make sure it reflects the latest guidance from NICE and feedback from patients.

We will also work with the government to scope the recommendations from the Pregnancy Loss Review.

Since the launch of the NHS HRT prescription payment certificate in April this year, over 300,000 certificates for HRT have already been purchased – both via the website and in pharmacies. As a result of these new certificates, it’s been estimated women have saved over around £9 million in prescription charges for the year, with the average person saving £30 for a year’s supply.

The government has also invested £53 million into the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) programmes to support women’s health, since April 2022 – including research on male violence against women and girls, and a call for further research into testosterone as a treatment for menopause symptoms.